


Dye

by SeasonalTea



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College AU, F/M, Female Reader, Hi I'm uploading old stuff again, Multi, Other, Psychological, Reader-Insert, Supernatural - Freeform, Suspense, Thriller
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 02:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16845328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeasonalTea/pseuds/SeasonalTea
Summary: It was nothing more than a game that went on behind the scenes and you were chosen as the only backstage help.  Act by act, avoid being stained or it's game over.[Various x Reader][Final||Surprise x Reader]





	1. Blank Canvas

**Author's Note:**

> Hi to anyone reading this I'm back with some old work from Luna. I'm catching up on the manga after a long break so I felt motivated to start moving my Haikyuu!! works over again. This one is from 2016--it was a rollercoaster in terms of writing that took me literal years to finish up, but I hope you enjoy!
> 
> [Old notes ]  
> I drew some references at the time, but the only relevant parts left at this point are the heights--I don't know fashion and details like Kenma's hair have changed (it's university so it's back to its natural colour!). I only got about half of them done but if you still want them: [[1]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1gxaR5CMAESXKP.png:large) [[2]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B1qyjC0CYAAFSSP.png:large) [[3]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B37F5qjCEAAEM9Y.png:large)  
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!  
>  _[I don't own anything except the original writing and concepts. All rights belong to the respective owners]_

With every push of rubber soles against the cement pavement below, the vibrations of the impact reverberated back up the trunk of your body. The wind felt pleasantly cool against your heated skin, but you did not have the spare thoughts to appreciate it. Your schoolbag felt far heavier than normal as you dashed across the open courtyard and past the automatic sliding doors of a large building in an odd shade of dark blue. Your feet took a sharp turn once inside to quickly hop down the stairs and towards the lower level. Only a few metres from the end of the staircase, a large set of faded purple double-doors was propped open and the noise of far too many chatting voices echoed past the entryway. 

That obnoxious racket, however, brought a relieved sigh from you. No longer under a sense of pressure to rush, you headed towards the doors at a much more relaxed pace while huffing slightly as you regained your breath from the run. Skipping the couple of steps that led into the large hall, you were greeted with the sight of fairly packed seats that created a sea of students indulging in whatever activity available to pass the remaining free time. The monitor and podium set at the front and centre of the hall remained empty of the presence of a presenter and you breathed another thankful sigh. When you turned back to scan the various people waiting for class to begin, your eyes managed to pick out a familiar profile slightly hunched over in their seat. As usual, they were seated in the back row of the front section of the audience; close enough to pay attention, but in a comfortable spot with no one directly looming behind the shoulder. 

"Ko-zu-me-kun!" you sang in pieces as you approached the male from behind. Unfortunately, the other student was too absorbed in his phone and missed your call. When you hopped over the back of the empty seat beside him and dropped your bag onto the ground, the brunet finally noticed your presence and visibly jumped at your entrance. 

"Oh, morning, you made it," he greeted just loud enough to be heard over the plethora of other conversation that crowded the atmosphere. His gaze drifted between your form and the phone in hand for a few moments before he tucked the device away. 

"Just barely it seems," you responded sheepishly as you settled into the empty foldout chair next to him and spotted a professor walking across the lower stage towards the podium set. "Thanks for saving me a seat by the way. What would I do without you?" A grateful grin pulled at your lips as you dragged out your laptop from the bag at your feet. 

"Ah, well, it's the same for me..." Ochre eyes flicked away in embarrassment, but a small smile flitted across his lips. 

"When you say it like that, it just reminds me we pretty much owe it all to Shouyou-kun, huh?" You opened up your compact computer and typed in the password to bring it out of suspended action. A quick glance up revealed that the lecturer was taking their sweet time with setting up despite it already being seven minutes past the due starting hour. "Well, as badly as it went at first, I'm still glad I spotted you during that orientation lecture last year! To think we would end up in the same course, what a blessing." You grinned once more at your friend and, this time, he returned the smile without reservation. 

"All right, sorry for running late, everyone! You wouldn't believe how many birds tried to attack me on the way here today..." 

As the professor's words echoed slightly from the microphone and sound system, you and Kenma shared one more set of smiles before settling in for the class lecture. As much as you tried to pay attention, however, your focus waned every so often and led you to unrelated websites on your laptop. After each brief lapse, you tried your best to return to the teaching session, but the allure of browsing cute adoption animals was too strong eventually. Beside you was nothing too helpful as your equally distracted friend had drifted back to tapping away at his handheld device with only the periodic glance up at the lecture slides every now and then. It was nothing more than a typical first class of Friday, you thought amusedly. Time passed in such a manner as the professor continued on about something of relevance to your course and sometimes digressed with the occasional useless but interesting fact. By the time words of conclusion and a temporary farewell resounded through the slightly scratchy speaker system, you found yourself reading about a strange bird that apparently moonwalked as part of its mating ritual. When you glanced over to Kenma, he was speedily tapping away at his screen, probably failing to notice that the class was over. For a while, you hovered over your friend's shoulder and watched him tap the rings zooming onto thumb markers as miniature characters danced in the background, the screen too small for you to clearly make out every single face. Even with his sound muted, the male's fingers rapidly hit each circular marker with precision and the combo count in the lower middle of the screen continued to rise. 

"Just how many of these games do you play?" 

"Mm, depends on the time of month. I'm mostly active only during events although the non-rhythm games are great for passing time in general," Kenma replied as he smoothly finished up the song. 

"Strange how mobage aimed at girls can be so vicious from what I've seen--especially that one with the all-boys idol high school! I tried playing it and gave up when people were at millions of points within only minutes. They had some cool themes though, stuff like knights and sentai," you recalled your own experiences in a mix of fondness and something like fear while your friend fed lower ranking cards into his preferred team members. "Anyways, as cool as it is to watch you spectacularly raise cute idols, Kuroo-san is going to be mad that we're late." At the same time as your remark, the brunet jumped as his phone vibrated. The digital screen flashed a notice for a new message and neither of you needed to read past the sender's name to take a guess at the general contents. 

"...He's mad." 

"Of course he's mad, which means you're probably paying for lunch today," you responded with a sigh before closing your laptop and stuffing it away. "We really should get going though. I'm hungry, Kozume-kun," your friend's name passed your lips in a whine and you motioned for him to hurry up as you lifted your bag and stood. The male slipped his phone back into his pocket before followed suit with a minute huff. 

Having spent a fair amount of time watching Kenma tap away at his phone, the lecture hall was empty save for yourselves. Not even bothering to walk the few extra steps out of the aisle, both of you hopped over the seats and headed for the double-doors. Despite the fact that the friend you were supposed to meet would grow more irritated with every extra second of tardiness, the slim male continued to move at his own low-tension pace. The distance to the meeting point was hardly more than a couple of minutes away, but Kenma's lack of speed may as well have at least doubled the travel time. When the two of you arrived outside a small cafe on the campus site, a taller male immediately made his way towards you with a clearly irritated expression. 

"I swear, if the two of you were late because of those weird idol card collecting games again, I'm going to start forcing Kenma to use an old model flip phone." 

"Kuroo-san, that's the same as threatening to practically end Kozume-kun's life." 

"Kuro, I'll quit volleyball." 

"You already quit after you graduated from high school!" A ragged sigh left the tall male as he dragged a hand through his mess of inky black locks. 

"To still use that old threat on me, jeez. Honestly the two of you--anyways, I'm hungry, so let's get some food already." Turning on his heel, Kuroo headed into the small shop with a beckoning wave over his shoulder before he stopped short to look back for a moment. "Ah, of course, you guys were late so Kenma's paying. Again." 

The shorter male's face scrunched up in an irritated mix of a grimace and a glare. 

"Why do you always make me pay?" he huffed as you both followed your senior inside. 

"And make a cute girl pay for our food instead? Are you serious?" Kuroo scoffed with an arched brow as he settled into line. Kenma only grumbled under his breath. 

"I really wouldn't mind paying once in a while, though. You guys are always treating me, after all," you spoke up as you let your gaze wander the array of sandwiches and pastries behind the glass display. Your eyes refused to make contact with your friends lest you let your embarrassment at their conversation become obvious. 

"Like I said, I'm not letting a cute girl pay for our food and especially not one I like." As the third-year male spoke, you swore your neck was on fire. 

"Kuro, that's embarrassing. She looks like she wants to just disappear now," your brunet friend thankfully said in reprimand, but the taller student only chuckled. 

"I'm only being honest," he lilted. Before either of you could make a retort, however, Kuroo stepped forward and was already ordering at the register. "What do you two want? There's a line, so be quick or I'm ordering us all a panini each." 

"Chicken wrap!" 

"I-I'll take this one next to the spring rolls!" 

The amber-eyed male visibly startled at the somewhat frantic responses, but turned back to the cashier anyways. "Uh, well, what they said and a tomato and basil panini--toasted, please." 

A little more dumbfounded than the third-year, the young lady behind the register simply nodded and relayed the order. As another employee reached past the sliding doors of the display, Kenma stepped forward with his wallet in hand. Despite his dissatisfied mumbling and the resentful look he shot his childhood friend, the sophomore willingly pulled out a few notes and handed them over. After his change was returned, the three of you stepped to the side to wait as Kuroo's panini warmed in the heated press behind the counter. The ink-haired male's earlier words repeated in your mind and you found yourself unable to look at either of your friends as you took a bite of your food. 

"Seriously though, I'm starving. Hey, let me have a bite while we're waiting why don't ya'?" the tall male drawled. Copper irises greeted your gaze when you looked up at the sound of the demand. 

"Huh?" you replied none too intelligently. 

"Kuro, eat your own food and stop harassing others," Kenma interrupted between bites of his choice poultry meal. 

"I'm asking because I don't have my food yet!" 

"That's your fault for deciding to have it be toasted. Actually, it looks like it's done." 

"Tomato and basil panini!" an employee from behind the display called as they held a brown paper bag in the air. The third-year clicked his tongue, but surrendered as he moved forward to claim his order. In the meantime, you decided to quickly check your phone for the hour and almost choked on the mouthful you were chewing. 

"Geh! I've got to get going already!" you exclaimed before giving your friend beside you an apologetic glance. "I have to get some old notes to Shouyou-kun before my next class, so I'll see you later, Kozume-kun. Sorry!" 

"Ah, no, that's fine. You should hurry then." The male offered a small smile in understanding before he blanched. "Although Kuro is probably going to whine about our time getting cut short..." 

"I'm going to what now?" the third-year in question asked as he returned with a warm, toasted sandwich in hand. A rather large bite was already missing from it. 

"I've gotta' run for today! Sorry again, and thanks for lunch!" you explained briefly and were already exiting before you finished excusing yourself. 

The stuttered protests of the ink-haired male quickly faded out of earshot as you briskly made your way across the cement pavement once more. While you half-jogged, you stuffed the last bit of your light lunch into your mouth and tossed the crumpled paper napkin into one of the campus bins as you hurried past. When the last mouthful of food rather roughly rolled past your tongue, the idea to grab a drink somewhere after meeting with your other friend passed you by. Fast-paced food consumption tended to require a beverage or two to soothe the throat, you supposed. Feeling a little anxious, you checked your phone for the time once more and nearly croaked at the minute displayed. 

"I'm late, I'm late, oh man," you whimpered as you picked up your pace. Thankfully, your destination was not too far and you turned the last corner around one of the many large campus buildings within the next couple of minutes whilst calling for your appointed meeting. 

"Shouyou-kun!" 

"Aah! Senpai, there you are!" 

The first thing you spotted after the exciting greeting was a familiar head of messy orange hair. The two of you immediately dashed for one another and both hopped into the air to meet with a nicely resounding double high five before you landed with clasped hands. 

"Sorry I'm a little late! I got pulled into Kozume-kun's pace earlier and I'm sure you know how that goes," you apologised while affectionately swaying and squeezing the male's hands lightly. 

"It's totally fine! You're always helping me out like this anyways, I should probably be the one apologising." Hinata laughed slightly as he returned your gestures with a bright grin. 

"You should do something about your inability to focus in class then, dumbass," a third voice entered the conversation with a gruff edge. 

"Hello to you too, Tobio-kun." 

"Ah, right. Good afternoon, senpai," the dark-haired boy mumbled softly before offering a slight bow with his late greetings. 

"Hey! At least I don't sleep with my eyes open and rolled all the way behind my eyelids! That's so creepy, Kageyama!" Your animated junior released one of your hands to point an accusing finger at his fellow first-year. 

"I'm not the one who drools all over the desk and even snores during class!" the taller male argued back heatedly as he grabbed Hinata's wrist. The sunburst-haired boy let out a squawk at the taller male's tight grip and let go of your other hand as he attempted to pry himself free. A sigh of mixed exasperation and fondness left you at the scene of the two arguing boys. 

"All right, calm down you two-" 

"How brutish, Tobio! I can't believe you and the little shorty would fight in front of a girl like this," a lilting voice cut in and effectively paused the occurring fuss. 

"Aah! It's the Grand King!" Hinata shouted and awkwardly turned one of his captured hands to point at the newly arrived brunet. 

"You're still calling me that?" Oikawa complained with an indignant rise to his shoulders. 

"Don't start another scene," a coal-haired male warned the bristling male with a light chop to his arm. "And Kageyama, you too," the third-year addressed the dazed first-year, "don't get into such childish arguments in front of people. This is a university and you're a student here." 

"R-Right. I'm sorry, Iwaizumi-san," the navy-eyed boy stuttered slightly and gave an apologetic bow of his head before releasing Hinata. "Sorry as well--for having to watch that." Kageyama tipped his head in your direction next. 

"Hey! What about me?" the shorter first-year yelled, only to be completely ignored. 

"Honestly, after high school, I'm used to it," you soothed with a sheepish smile. "It's good you're both still as energetic as back then, though! Ah, also good afternoon, Iwaizumi-san and Oikawa-san." You gave a small wave and a pleasant smile to the two males. Both replied politely with their own nods and grins of greeting. 

"But jeez, I'll never understand how some measly garbage dump crows got such a pretty dove as their senio-ow!" The tallest male was interrupted as his childhood friend landed a neat kick to his shin. A restrained, nervous laugh left you. 

"You do this every time, you moron. Can't you see it makes her uncomfortable?" the dark-haired third-year reprimanded his friend with practised bluntness. A softer, more relaxed giggle left you this time before you remembered your current situation and the limited time you were working with. 

"Aah! I'm sorry, but I don't have the leisure to chat with everyone right now!" A little frantic, you clumsily struggled with your bag for a bit and then retrieved a somewhat worn notebook from its depths. "Shouyou-kun, here. This should have everything I can give you and I really did my best last year, but don't rely on just this, all right? Good luck with your test!" you encouraged your junior with a wide grin and an affectionate ruffle of his hair. 

"You too, Tobio-kun!" You flashed the black-haired boy a smile before peeking past him and Hinata to wave once more at your upperclassmen. "Sorry to leave so soon, but have a good day, Oikawa-san, Iwaizumi-san." 

Barely catching their replies, you were off once more and dashing through the school grounds. 

After covering a solid couple dozen metres in a few seconds, you slowed down to a brisk walking pace. Still anxious about the time, though, you quickly pulled out your phone and checked the digital clock. A relieved sigh left you when you saw there was just enough time for you to arrive before your next class. That relaxed moment, however, left you open to be rather startled when the device in your hand suddenly vibrated with an alert. Squeaking at the surprise, you fumbled for several frantic moments before finally gripping your phone securely in both hands. A little heavier than last, one more sigh passed your lips as you calmed your panicked heart. Setting off once more for your next lesson, you eyed the notice on your phone screen and frowned at the name displayed. With a derisive huff, you opened the new message you had received and barely even skimmed the short text what with your low expectations. 

_I can't make today's session. We can just cover everything next week._

Despite having already predicted the mail contents, you pinched the bridge of your nose in an attempt to stem the oncoming headache and let out a groan. 

"That boy--I don't get how he's Aki-nii's little brother at all. If I didn't owe Aki-nii so much, there's no way I'd be able to keep going with this farce of a tutoring schedule. We've barely even met half of the weeks we were supposed to!" you complained to yourself as your irritation made you hasten your pace. 

So absorbed in your frustrations and still scowling as you forcefully tucked the device away, you failed to realise what was happening until your head rammed straight into thick plexiglass. The burning pain immediately seared through your skull, but what was foremost in your mind was the realisation that you were not exactly on your feet anymore. Unfortunately, the ache in your cranium clouded your thoughts and your muddled mind could not seem to get past the fact that you were hanging somewhere halfway between the air and the ground, but your legs were not supporting you. The light from the sky seemed to shine straight into your vision and, combined with the sharp pain from your earlier collision, you dared not open your eyes. 

"I'm not sure if I should ask, but are you okay?" Smoothly woven syllables and precise enunciation rang dully in your ears. It took a few moments for you to process the question and finally answer with a slight whine. 

"Depends on if I'm bleeding or not..." 

"Not from what I can tell, so I guess that means you're fine for the most part. I tried to warn you, but you didn't notice me at all." The words were becoming easier to understand as the stinging in your skull started to fade. You started to relax with the relief from the pain, but a sudden heave and lurch of your torso almost had you back to square one. The throbbing in your head nearly drowned out the calls of your name from your rather familiarly voiced companion. 

"C'mon, I can't carry you by your shoulders forever. People are giving us weird looks and were also kind of in the way of the doors." Without much of a pause, the person who you discerned to be a male acquaintance hefted you back to your feet. When you stumbled slightly, he quickly steadied you with a hand on your shoulder. Their palm was warm and you shuddered on reflex when you felt their fingertips brush your skin past the cotton neckline of your clothes. 

After a couple of deep breaths and a quick massage to your sore head, you managed to regain your vision. Though bleary at first, you were soon greeted with the sight of slightly mussed, dark umber locks and a sharp bistre gaze that you knew quite well. 

"Ah, Akaashi-kun." 

"Back to lucidity, I see." Despite the seemingly tart speech, you noticed the second-year's brow relax at the evaluation. 

"Mhmm, I'm okay now and thanks for helping me-" 

"Not to be rude, but now that you're better you should know that we're already late for our class after all of that," the tall male cut in and raised his wristwatch to level with your sight for emphasis. When you saw the minute hand well past the hour, you let out a choked shriek. 

"Gaah! Let's go, let's go!" you frantically urged your friend before knocking his arm out of your sight in a panic. Not expecting it, Akaashi gave a startled grunt at sudden swipe, but said nothing in reprimand. 

While clumsily attempting to push your way past the doors, your friend had to step in before he easily pulled the glass pane open much to your embarrassment, but you had no time to dawdle. After a flight of stairs to the second floor and a couple of short corridors, the two of you managed to reach your designated class. You took a moment to slow down as to not cause a ruckus by barging in and opened the workroom door. Thankfully, your professor had only just begun and beckoned for both of you to quickly enter and find seats. You offered an apologetic smile as you passed by and quickly settled at an empty table, Akaashi right at your heel as he took a place beside you. 

The next hour passed by peacefully as the teacher walked the class through various mock test questions and reviewed other lecture content from earlier in the week. Occasionally, the class would have a few minutes to attempt a problem on their own before you received the correct answer. In the quiet atmosphere, Akaashi and yourself would silently help each other out every so often. Without a single sound uttered, the two of you would prod each other, point out problems, and then pencil in advice for one another before returning to your own work. By the time class ended, your wrist was painfully sore from the heavy amount of note taking you did. 

"Ugh, I'm glad today's finally over," you half-moaned as you twisted your clasped hands behind your back and stretched your stiff shoulders. The two of you stood just outside the workroom and you could hear the muffled echo of the university clock tower ringing to signal the afternoon hour. With a content breath and loosened muscles, you set off with your friend at a relaxed pace. 

"You mean just classes, or should I let Bokuto-san know that you have a meeting today?" Akaashi asked as he already pulled his phone out from his pocket and unlocked the device to his home screen. 

"Part of me wishes I could say I had obligations, but you know what Kei-kun texts me every week," you admitted with a heavy sigh as the wenge-haired male chuckled in sympathy. 

"Well, even if you weren't free today, you would be out of luck. It seems Bokuto-san is already here and expecting us." Without waiting for a response, your fellow second-year held his phone out for you to take. As you both walked down the stairs at a leisurely pace, you viewed the open message on the screen. 

_Hurry up you guys! There's going to be a special crepe at the street shop only for this afternoon!!_

Part of you wanted to laugh at the cutely excited message, but another portion was rather perplexed with how important your upperclassman deemed a single crepe. Of course, you had quickly learnt since meeting them that such a question was pointless and simply handed Akaashi his phone back as you reached the bottom of the staircase. 

"Why would they sell a special crepe for only one day?" 

"I don't know, but I wanna' eat it!" 

The booming reply literally scared you off of your feet and you found yourself hanging between the heavens and the earth once more. 

"Should I even ask if you're okay?" Taupe irises stared down at you with a single cocked brow. The reliable male had once again caught your tipped form and saved you from an unwanted collision with the floor. An involuntary groan vibrated in your throat. 

"Physically, yes; mentally, however, I feel more drained than usual." You heaved a weary sigh and hefted yourself back to a stand with a disgruntled huff. Probably still worried, Akaashi's fingers lingered against your arms and the male did not retract his touch until you assured him that you were fine. 

"Huh? What? Are you not feeling well?" A rough, but large and warm palm pressed against your forehead and you stumbled back slightly. 

"B-Bokuto-san! It-It's nothing, so please remove your hand. You're always a bit too rough, you know," you scolded gently and bit the inside of your cheek to keep from possibly lashing out at the oblivious third-year. His energy could be refreshing, but you were too exhausted at this point to handle it. Your senior's brass-hued gaze, however, only stared at you with complete innocence as he retrieved his hand. 

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you missing out on this one-day special crepe, but when something's up you gotta' say so." Even with the concerned tilt of his head, Bokuto's silver and arsenic locks barely shifted from their two-peak, spiked-back style. 

"I'm fine, no worries," you assured him with an emphatic tilt of your lips. Seemingly satisfied with your response, the well-built male grinned in return. 

"All right then! Let's go get some crepes!" he cheered with an excited fist in the air. 

"Bokuto-san, you're too loud for inside the building." 

"You can scold me while we walk, Akaashi!" 

Another sigh, simultaneously exasperated and fond, passed your lips before both boys turned back and called for you to catch up. You shook your head slightly as you mused to yourself and hurried over. As you fell into step beside the boys, a content smile pulled at the corners of your mouth. It was a hectic and arduous day, but getting to spend it with such energetic and positive company was worth it. While the three of you headed for the nearest bus stop to wander into another part of the surrounding city, you reached into your bag to pull out a portable console. The handheld device booted into activity while you chatted with your friends. Once loaded and ready, two words slowly blinked on the start up screen of your most recent digital conquest. 

_Game Start_


	2. Smoky Black

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter was an introduction so I hope everyone is ready for this heheh.

"Seriously though, only a demon would force schedules to have a mandatory class on early Monday mornings! I can't believe it’s even one of my core subjects." 

"Kuroo-san, your class is at nine in the morning. High school started earlier than that." 

"Tch, you're so cruel to me." 

The ink-haired male tilted his laid back head to the right to half-heartedly glare at you. The two of you were under the midmorning sun and enjoying the nice weather between classes, although complaints and rebuttals were all that had passed in the conversation so far. Seated next to the upperclassman on the wooden bench, you popped a miniature rice cracker into your mouth and quickly finished it off before replying. 

"Am I? That was meant to be encouraging, you know, by comparing it to a worse situation you've had to go through and all." You plucked another snack from the foil bag in your lap and enjoyed the satisfying crunch of the first chew. From your left, Kuroo reached over to grab a couple of pieces for himself as well. 

"I'm pretty sure you hang around Kenma too much; you're unconsciously trying to bully me because of that guy's influence," the third-year spoke around the food in his mouth and gave you a friendly tug with his arm that casually rested behind you on the backing of the bench. 

"Ah, hey! I'll drop the crackers," you scolded none too convincingly what with the smile on your face. A grin pulled at your friend's lips before he released you and you rolled your eyes. “Even though it seems like you would be the one to bully someone like Kozume-kun, I guess there are surprising things in this world." You pressed a cracker to your lips for a moment before slipping it past and letting the lightly seasoned grain snack land on your tongue. 

"You just haven’t seen what he’s really like! I could almost say there’s something wrong with that guy." The male clicked his tongue before he stole another cracker and tossed it skywards to catch it in his open maw. 

"I’ll look forward to it then," you quipped with a small smile. When you reached into the bag on your lap, however, that smile quickly fell into a frown. Digging your hand around, the only thing you found was empty air and the annoying sound of rustling foil. 

"Whoops, did I take the last one?" The mockingly innocent lilt to his words, not to mention his teasing grin, was more than enough for you to realise it was a rhetorical question. 

"At least tell me instead of letting me dig at an empty packet. It's heartbreaking, you know?" you huffed at your senior with an indignant pout. The male only snickered before the arm draped behind you moved so he could ruffle your hair. 

"Lunch will be my treat, so forgive me will ya'?" the third-year bargained with a sly grin, but you only gaped at him in disbelief. 

"Again? I was serious last week that I wouldn't mind paying once in a while or for my own portion at the very least!" Despite your upset arguments, Kuroo only mussed your crown once more with a laugh. 

"So was I, which means I'm not letting a cute girl I like pay when I can help it," he countered with a final pat to your head. Before any more could be said, however, your senior sat up from his relaxed position and shifted so his torso turned to face you. Once straightened, the dark-haired male set to gently brushing his fingertips through your hair. 

"Is something wrong with my hair?" 

"I made a mess of it so I'm fixing it now, no worries." A soft chuckle passed his lips as Kuroo hovered over you. The sensations of his digits ghosting over your skull made it difficult for you to stay still. 

Soon enough though, you managed to relax into your friend's touch and let your eyes fall closed at the ministrations. To make his work a little easier, you shifted your best to face him and let your head roll lightly with his touches. Even though the third-year had said he was fixing your hair, you could distinctly feel him letting his fingers fall through previously attended sections and rolling the locks between his digits with no real reason. It was not as if you minded it, though. The soft treatment was relaxing and Kuroo was a good friend to you--even if he consistently flustered you with his dubious flirting--that was always kind and took immense care of you. Since the day early in your first year that you formally met the male through Kenma, the ink-haired man, a second year at the time, always made sure to offer any help you could have possibly needed. The closer you got to the pair of childhood friends, however, the more you started to notice just how often Kuroo liked to be involved. It was not problematic, you believed, but it would strike you as strange sometimes how much time he wanted. No matter how long you spent with the male as your free hours allowed, alone or otherwise, he was always dissatisfied when you had to leave. It was as if he always wanted more, simply more and more. 

The train of thought was suddenly halted when you felt warm skin brush against your cheek. 

With a subdued squeak, your eyes shot open and you tilted your head up from its lax position only to meet an intensely focused copper gaze. Any words that may have left you were halted on your tongue that felt far too large for your mouth at that moment. By just the slightest bit, you noticed the male's face start to lean in towards your own and you wondered if he could feel the heat that burned under your skin. As you thought to close your eyes and simply prepare for whatever Kuroo was about to do, one of his thumbs rubbed against your cheek once more rather roughly before the male pulled back into his own space. 

"There were crumbs on your face," he sang teasingly. The explanation had you about to release your pent up tension in a relieved sigh until the dark-haired third year licked the supposed remnant grains from his thumb with a satisfied smirk. 

"K-Kuroo-san?!" you spluttered in shock. Your senior hummed in acknowledgment and faced you with an alluring tilt of his lips as he awaited your next words. 

"Um, m-my next class is going to start soon so I should get going!" you haphazardly excused yourself while fumbling with your bag for a bit. 

"Sure, sure. I'll pick you up for lunch at the usual place then. See ya'!" Kuroo bid you a chipper farewell as you nodded and dashed off in a fluster. 

As you walked fervently towards somewhere, simply away from your senior was all that mattered, you had to clap your own cheeks to regain some sort of lucidity. The ink-haired third-year's audacious flirting could make the back of your neck prickle with heat often, but what you just experienced was something on a completely new level of embarrassing. You were well aware the male liked to tease and rile people up, but his previous acts had never bothered you to a serious degree. Sure your temperature would spike a little, but being complimented and doted upon in such a way was rather enjoyable because Kuroo was always honest, or so your mutual friends would tell you. 

If that was the case, however, what was with the sudden display and jump in intensity earlier? 

The back of your neck burned hot enough to sweat as the event replayed in your mind and you harshly shook your head clear of the thoughts. Attempting to think it out while still half-numb from the experience was not particularly efficient, so you tried to not focus on it for the time being. More important, you decided at the moment, was figuring out where you were, how far it was to your next class, and whether you would make it on time or not. As you glanced around and realised you were somewhere on a street at least a whole block from the main campus, you had to bite your fist in order to keep back the rising curses in your throat. 

* * *

A heavy sigh passed your lips as you exited through one of the various doors that connected to the lecture hall. On top of arriving almost ten minutes late, you had barely been able to properly listen to even five minutes of the class. No matter how hard you attempted to focus, the presenter's words simply bounced right off of your skull. Another exhausted breath left you when your stomach rumbled and clenched with hunger as you exited the building itself. 

"I guess I don't even have to ask if you're up for lunch." 

"Kuroo-san!" 

The third year flashed you a smile as he approached from a bit over by your left. Without thinking about it, one of your arms had come up to defensively cover your stomach as your hand apprehensively gripped the clothing along your waist, palms starting to sweat from your nerves. Thankfully, the ink-haired male stood a fair distance from you and seemed to have no intentions of invading your personal bubble. 

"So, anything you feel like having?" Kuroo asked as he started to lead you to the central building where the majority of eateries were located. 

"Not really. I'm more concerned about the wait time, haha," you joked half-heartedly as you trailed the slightest bit behind him. Your senior simply hummed at your reply. 

"Then why don't we try somewhere new?" Amber irises glanced at you with an excited shine. “There's a fresh bistro on the outskirts of the campus around the north-eastern side. There probably won't be as many people and, hey, maybe we'll find a nice new shop to frequent," the third-year proposed with an emphatic hand in the air as some of his fingers folded to count off the advantages he listed. 

This time, you gave a noncommittal hum before replying. 

"Lead the way then, senpai." 

"Geh, don't call me that! You know I prefer being addressed more directly." 

"Kuroo-senpai?" 

"Why do you bully me like that?" 

The laughter spilling past your lips prevented you from making any apologies to the male, not that you would have been truly sincere about it. Your amusement was cut short, however, when a large palm roughly mussed around atop your scalp. Giggles changed to an abrupt squeak and you fumbled a bit before managing to free yourself from the undignified assault. 

"Not again, Kuroo-san!" you whined as you busied your hands with smoothing your hair back out. 

"You brought that upon yourself. Also, over here, this is a shortcut and you want to hurry, right?" the dark-haired student called from in front of an unpathed path between a school building and the convenience store next to it. 

"All right, coming," you huffed, what with his blatant dismissal of your irritation, but your friend was right in both regards. 

When you glanced over, true enough, you could see a familiar line of stores from your destination area through the urban corridor. Once you were close enough, the third year started walking once more and you were forced to stay behind him in the limited space of the path. If it were Kenma and yourself, the two of you could have probably walked side by side you figured. Walking with the much broader-shouldered Kuroo, however, left the remaining width just a little short of allowing you to stay beside him. Focused on the thought of warm food, you failed to notice as your friend slowed to a halt and you would have nearly walked right into him had the third-year not turned and stopped you with a hand on your head. 

"Huh? Um, is something wrong, Kuroo-san?" You blinked up at the older student and frowned quizzically when a rather sly grin pulled at his lips. 

"Nah, I had the thought of being a little mean to you, but I just noticed something. Hold still," the male commanded as he trailed his hand down your hair and to cup your cheek. 

It felt as if your heart had jumped straight into your throat as your senior gently manoeuvred you with his grip until your back was pressed to the alley wall and his large frame hovered over you. Kuroo's thumb brushed over the rise of your cheekbone as his face came close enough for the two of you to brush noses. 

"C'mon now, you still have some of the seasoning from those rice crackers on your face," the male drawled in what you could only call a purr and you could feel his warm breath on your skin. 

"Right here." 

Your heart literally stopped when the tip of his tongue lapped at the corner of your mouth. 

A strangled choke ripped itself from your vocal chords as you belatedly registered the distinct feeling of being licked. It was a fleetingly warm sensation, in a way that had your stomach flipping and trying to eject its contents. The lingering moistness made the air feel chillier and the longer the mild prickle of simply knowing it happened persisted, the more it burnt your conscience. Your hand immediately moved to wipe at the offended area, but your senior swiftly caught you by the arm and slipped his grip down to pin your wrist to the brick wall. 

"Hold on, there's still some more left. But, you know, tasting it from that sort of place made it kind of sweet," the third year crooned as he stared you straight in the eyes with his copper gaze. He was so close that you could distinctly track his pupils dilate and you swore his irises also darkened a shade. 

"I wonder if this place is even sweeter?" 

Two things caught your attention in the next split second. One was the overwhelming husky rasp in Kuroo's voice. It was so potent and definitive, the only way you could describe it was "starved". He was a man hungering for something--something from you--and he was intent on taking it. That thought was quickly pushed aside, however, when they shifted right in front of you. From that piercing but bright and warm amber cast to a darkness like smog that swallowed and suffocated everything. Akin to a heavy smoke, it curled and looped as it rose through his original ochre colour until it devoured the hue and replaced it with an emptiness only found in shades that lacked light itself. So dark as to nearly meld with his pupils, they were not the eyes of your beloved senior and friend. 

As astonishing and bizarre as your observations were, you had no energy left to focus on them when warmth pressed against your lips. 

Your mind went through what you could only guess was a temporary shut down from the shock. Thoughts were nothing but a dull buzz in your brain and your body went numb. Had Kuroo not shifted a knee in between your legs and moved his hand from your wrist to your hip, you would have slumped over and fallen to the ground for sure. As your body lost support, however, so did your mouth and your jaw went slack from your mounting distress. Awareness slowly came back to your senses from the top down when the large hand cradling your cheek tilted your head slightly and you felt a certain moist muscle poke past your unresponsive lips. You could feel the male smirk at the easy access before that appendage, warm and wet, lapped just its tip against your own tongue and you felt electricity jolt through your whole body. It was a shock of horror, panic, disgust, and other emotions that you could never fully realise with words. Your arms shot up to fist at the neckline of his shirt and force him away. There was surprisingly little resistance to your act, but you did not care as you snapped your heads away from one another in order to tear yourself from the unwanted contact. A strained cough left you as you struggled to breathe while trying to spit out the offending remnant sensations of the invasion. 

"Hmm, I was right," he purred and the sound drilled into your head, carrying with it waves of revulsion. “That was definitely sweeter." 

Your gaze swiftly turned back to both gape in horror and glare with abhorrence at the man. His cotton shirt within your fists irritated your skin as your grip tightened along with your rising emotions. He mockingly trailed his tongue over his lips and, the whole time, those onyx irises watched you, brimming with mirth. Even when he had kissed you without your consent, they were silently portraying his amusement at your helplessness. It was the most infuriating ridicule you had ever experienced. 

"Who the hell are you?!" you growled as you forced his face to level with yours. His expression continued to remain entertained and you could hear the joints in your jaw strain under how fiercely you grit your teeth. 

"Aw, don't be so mean, little lamb. I'm the guy you've known and relied on for the past year and a half, Kuroo Tetsurou. Then again, I guess you could say I'm not since that's what you would rather hear." The dark-haired man laughed at his own joke and raised a hand to grasp your chin and brush a thumb over you bottom lip. 

You immediately grabbed at his wrist and wrenched his hand away from you. Unfortunately, the tall male was stronger and easily slipped from your hold before pinning your hand to the rough bricks. The impact caused you to wince as the grainy material scratched at the thin skin of your knuckles, but your anger as he mockingly laced fingers with you easily blocked out the stinging injuries. After a moment of indulging in your aggravation, he caught your other hand that was still numbly fisted in his shirt and imprisoned it in his other grip. Even as you glared with all of your fury, the man continued to smile and silently laugh at you. 

"Who are you? Because there's no way I can believe you're Kuroo-san!" you demanded with a venomous hiss. 

"Such a stubborn one, but I'm finding your denial quite tantalising." The male shifted both of your wrists into a single grip above your head. His other hand went back to your hip before it moved to play with the hem of your shirt and you flinched when his fingertips brushed the sensitive skin of your stomach. “Rules are rules, though, and I have to be honest if I want to further my claims," he hummed thoughtfully as his eyes flicked down to appreciate the flash of skin that his wandering hand exposed. 

"R-Rules?" You cursed yourself and the person or thing before you for the weak stutter of your voice. The indignant anger you felt before was quickly being drowned in an anxious fear as his free hand continued to slowly edge further and further upwards to tease along your skin. 

"Mm, in the simplest terms I can think off, I guess you could say I'm physically the Kuroo-san you so adore"--he nuzzled into your cheek and you flinched--"but he's only here in technical terms." Inky-black locks tickled your face as he brushed his lips past the curve of your jaw to the junction of your neck. “The Kuroo-san you know has no awareness of any of this. In a way, I’ve stolen his consciousness for the time being so I know everything he knows. It also means I want everything that he wants, but unlike him, I have no hesitation in taking it whatsoever.” A chuckle that vibrated right into your bones left him before he dipped in to nip a trail along your clavicle and settled his lips at your shoulder. “So, can you guess what I want right now?" 

Onyx eyes that you could not recognise stared up at you and a sly grin stretched across his face. 

Spluttering and choked attempts of speech floundered at the tip of your tongue as you stared down at the male casually resting against your body. Even though you wanted to scream a thousand different curses and questions at him, neither your mind nor mouth could formulate the words. Nothing made sense. The same person still? A sudden personality change? Stolen consciousness? It sounded like pure fiction from you were not sure what. Your brain continued to run circles with the insensible explanation until you felt something trailing over your ribs and dangerously close to your chest. You flinched at the warm contact and pressed your body against the wall in a vain attempt to create more space between yourself and his touch. 

A delighted hum left the third-year encroaching on your privacies and, amidst all of your confusion, the one thing you were sure of was you did not want any of what was happening to you at that moment. 

"I always thought you were pretty cute since we met. Now that I have the chance to make you all mine, I always make sure to get what I want," he purred as he lifted his head away to get a better look at the area he continued to uncover with his invasive hand. 

Even though it was your senior and friend that you truly did adore, your feelings for him included nothing even close to your current situation. He said he was Kuroo, but at the same time he was not and you were unsure of which to believe. You had little time to argue with yourself, however, when gravel crunched underfoot and you came back to attention to find the dark-haired male crouched in front of your abdomen, his grip around your wrists having pulled your arms to bunch in front of your chest. Another hum, or something more like a purr, rumbled from his throat before he pressed his lips to the dip of soft flesh between your false ribs. The shriek you wanted to release only remained choked in your throat and you felt a sickening mix of terror and rejection rise within your whole being as he began a slow trail down the midline of your stomach. When he reached the last of your skin before clothing once more obstructed him, he licked his lips with an excited smile and you realised it was now or never. 

As little as you understood, you refused to let yourself be violated and acted in desperation. 

The feeling that bloomed in your chest was not satisfaction when a pained gag left your senior. It was not regret, either, but more of a resignation and assurance that it had to be done. That was what your emotions settled on the moment after you managed to knee the male right in the neck and send him to the ground just a little off to the side. Even as mixed chokes and gargles of his anguished state left the third-year, you did not loiter under the misconception that you should feel sorry for him. You were hardly proud of most definitely rather cruelly injuring someone you cared for, but there was no guilt for defending yourself. Part of you still refused to believe that he was your senior friend, but your mind could not make sense of that person not being Kuroo Tetsurou. It was all a muddled mess in your head, and you hardly noticed the ragged breaths you had come to take and the blurry pooling of tears in your eyes. The inside of your chest felt heavy yet empty as you bolted from the alleyway and headed in the direction of your home with the desire to get away and somehow forget what just transpired being the most coherent thought you could muster.


	3. Emerald Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter for tonight--I'll continue uploading tomorrow/later today.

When you awoke, the first thing you registered was the darkness around you. Light was only a faint blur in the lower edges of your vision and it was not until you rolled your face into your pillow that you realised your eyes were still closed. Even as time passed after your discovery, you remained in your half-twisted position amongst your mess of sheets. There was a stiff ache in what felt like every limb and joint of your body and your head was throbbing a bit. A familiar tune started to blare from nearby and you groaned into your pillow. Blindly reaching out, your slapped your hand about until you located your ringing phone and habitually shut the alarm off. After setting the device back down, you took a long breath and rolled yourself off of your mattress. 

A mixed whine and moan passed your lips after your body hit the cold floor. 

With the usual morning routine out of the way, you slowly forced yourself up to sit and then to your feet before you grabbed your clothes and headed for the bathroom to prepare for the day. As you moved about with the blurry vision of having just woken, your stomach gave a sick twist every so often that had you tipped against the walls for support. 

"Not...a good start, huh?" you mumbled to yourself in the hallway just outside your bedroom. 

The sun was up and lit your small but cosy apartment with a mild morning warmth. With a slight drag to your step, you shuffled out of the bathroom and over to turn your TV on for some early background chatter before you moved back over to the kitchen. Your stomach gave another uncomfortable wrench and you groaned pitiably at the sensation. 

"I'll just grab some snacks for when I feel better," you decided, rummaging through your pantry for something to take with you. 

As the noise of the expected weather, urgent news, and the latest gossip played in your home, you packed your necessities for the day into your usual bag and let out a yawn. When all was set and done, you switched off the background electronic and checked the time. The small clock hanging on the hallway wall read only about forty past nine and your first class of the day was not till a quarter into the tenth hour. With plenty of minutes to spare, you set about your last preparations at a leisurely pace and slipped on your shoes for the day without a hint of rush. After a set of stretches and twists to loosen up the remaining stiffness from your lingering sleepiness, you slung your bag over your shoulder and reached for the door. As your hand wrapped around the chilly metal, however, your body froze and your wrist tensed. 

Eyes like the polluted smog of factories and a voice that spoke of hunger that could never be sated coiled around your senses. 

"No!" you growled to yourself harshly as your knees buckled and your body fell forwards. The muffled sound of your forehead meeting the polished wood of the door vibrated through your skull. 

"It's Tuesday, which means he has no classes, so it'll be fine and I can't miss my own class so easily," you mumbled to yourself and breathed deeply. "Besides, I got a text from Kozume-kun about some family thing so they're both gone today and he didn't mention anything odd. It'll be fine." With another controlled breath, you straightened yourself up and twisted the steel handle as you mustered up your resolve. Even so, you could do nothing about the trembling of your fingers as you did your best to lock your apartment from the outside. 

Despite the sluggish pace and minor derailments, your single apartment was quite close to the university and thus time and speed were rarely ever a concern. The complex was a hotspot for students looking to live away from home and the campus, so it could get rowdy now and then. Still, it was a well-furnished living space and you liked it. There were a couple other residential lots near the school, but your current place was on the side where the majority of your schedule was held. It was convenient in the mornings, but sometimes you got a little too lax. 

"I'm only ever diligent on days without Kozume-kun, huh?" you hummed in idle thought as you stepped onto campus. 

Wanting to get an early seat, you picked up your pace a bit and headed towards the assigned hall for your first class of the day. Just as you stopped amongst the other early students that lined the building hallway, the door to the theatre opened with an aged creak before the class prior to yours started to file out. When the flow of people began to thin, you weaved past a couple of chattering males and slipped inside. Sidestepping the last of the exiting parties, you headed straight for your usual seat and flopped into the foldable chair with a lazy sigh. As your classmates started to fill the theatre with both their bodies and voices, you pulled out your laptop and logged in to entertain yourself during your remaining freedom before the lecture started. When you failed to spy the professor anywhere in the room, you figured there would be more than just a few minutes to idle around and pulled up your browser. With experienced speed, you opened a new tab on your window and entered a short phrase before hitting the final key to start the search. A frown pulled at your mouth when none of the results seemed to align with your desired information. No matter how many variations you attempted, both broad and detailed, nothing caught your eye as you scrolled through even multiple pages. 

Heterochromia, medical conditions, birth stories, religious excerpts, and even creepy pastas; none of it had any real connection to the black-eyed mass of desire you were confronted with yesterday. As an aggravated grumble vibrated at the back of your throat, a weary voice reverberated through the speaker system. Your eyes flicked above your laptop screen to find your professor already starting the class and a dull sigh left you. Well aware of your habits and wanting to focus on something less troubling, you closed your computer with care and settled into a comfortable position in your seat. 

Try as you did, it was hard to pay attention to the rather long-winded instructor's teachings and explanations. They were very much dreary in tone, but your restless mind and brewing worries certainly held fault as well. Threads and frayed ideas drifted abound as you mentally paced in circles around yesterday's incident. No matter how desperately you grasped about or how flexibly you approached it, there was not a single plausible explanation you could give yourself. Even if having an understanding of the situation would do you little to no good, you needed some sort of grounding for the sake of it. A little information was still better than none or so you wanted to believe. As wilder and more broken possibilities bubbled up and prematurely burst amongst your thoughts, you lost sense of your surroundings and physically jumped as the loud clacking of plastic and metal erupted around you like cracker fire. When you finally came back to reality, a multitude of students were snapping back the foldout desks and already exiting the hall in droves. 

"Whoops." With a shallow sigh at the realisation that you had tuned out your class at some point, you quickly grabbed your belongings and joined the masses. Once out of the theatre and soon dawdling in the building lobby, you let out another sigh as your mind quickly returned to its previous intrigues. 

"I'll try to do some serious research when I get home and see if I can work from there. For now, it'll be important to just avoid...him, although who knows when that will be," you muttered to yourself as you leant against one of the building's support pillars. 

"Oh, if it isn't the pretty dove!" 

"H-Huh?" You reacted immediately to the familiar pet name and glanced around. To your left and jumping the last few steps of the staircase, a brunet male greeted you with a bright grin. You nodded in acknowledgement. 

"What are you doing loitering around here?" Oikawa asked in a light tone as he let his back rest against the same pillar that you occupied. 

"Ah, not much. Just thinking about some stuff," you replied with the best smile you could muster in order to not worry the third-year and quickly tried to divert his attention. "I haven't seen you in this building before, Oikawa-san." 

"Hmhmm, well, my class is usually in the afternoon, but I had to make a change this one time," the sienna-eyed male explained with an easygoing lilt. "I'm usually on the second level as well, but what a lucky chance that we managed to run into each other!" He flashed that impeccable smile of his once more and you actually felt yourself relax just a bit at his amicable nature. 

"Not to be rude, but you're not skipping anything to just chat with me, are you? I mean, I don't want to be keeping you like this." 

"No way! You're not a nuisance if that's what you're thinking!" he immediately denied. "Even if I did have something to do right now, I'd much rather be talking to you anyways. After all, this is the first time we've managed to actually speak for more than a couple minutes," the brunet whined rather childishly, but it put a smile on your face. 

"That's true. The first time you showed up, those two practically grabbed me and ran as fast as they could," you recalled with a laugh. 

"Right, right! If anyone has been rude to me, it's definitely Tobio-chan and the shorty! To run away as soon as their old upperclassman and fellow athlete said a simple 'hi', I nearly started to cry." To add to his complaints, your senior had no problem wiping away a fake tear right then. 

"From what I've heard their middle and high school years with you were like, respectively, I don't really blame them." 

"Aah, you-!" 

At Oikawa's dropped jaw and general reaction to your taunt, you could not hold back the amused laugh that bubbled up from within. Despite the teasing, the third-year seemed to relent at your happy mood and smiled along with you. 

"Aah jeez, I can't believe I'm letting myself get bullied liked this. Shouldn't it be the other way around with me making your heart pound?" the brunet huffed with a petulant cross of his arms. "Well, the great Oikawa-san can make a few sacrifices to cheer up a tired girl. You definitely look much better with a smile than anything else." The male cocked his head as he sported a satisfied grin and even winked at you when your mouth gaped slightly this time. 

"H-Huh? Wait, Oikawa-san-" 

"I guess you didn't hear from your baby birds, but I'm more attentive than I seem, you know?" he interrupted with a docile smile. "If there's something wrong, do you want to talk about it?" 

It was a simple question, yet you could not form a single sound in reply. Words weighed your tongue down into a useless lump and air refused to pass your lips. When you tried to speak, the thought of what you could even possibly let slip to the male immediately stopped you short. Silence gripped your voice and you could only chew your lip as you avoided his gaze. The third year started to frown at your lack of response, but he quickly shook his head and offered you another smile. 

"It's all right." Large, yet gentle and warm, his palm smoothed over your hair in comfort as he continued to smile. "I guess I'm not someone you could just talk to so easily, huh? But if there's anything I can do for you, please let me know." 

"Oikawa-san..." you half-mumbled in awe at the brunet's overwhelming reliability at that moment. "Oikawa-san, somehow, I feel like I should apologise to you." 

"Huh? Why?" 

"Ah, well," you stumbled slightly as you realised you had let your tongue loose before grinning nervously. "I kind of thought you were more..." 

"More?" 

"...Selfish and a jerk," you admitted and immediately turned your face elsewhere from the male in shame. 

"You know, there's a limit to teasing someone and-" 

"I'm really sorry." 

"You're serious?" 

Regret and humiliation boiled in your blood and burned through your whole body at that moment as Oikawa spluttered and awkwardly fiddled with his fingers, flailing in the air. The longer the male took to grasp the situation, the hotter your regret flared and you brought your hands up to cover your face out of sheer embarrassment. 

"I'm so sorry," you whispered through your palms and you jumped as a loud thump resounded from in front of you. 

When you peeked from between your fingers, your shocked senior had seemingly slammed his forehead into the pillar he was previously leaning against. The atmosphere around his person was heavy with despair and defeat as he mumbled brokenly to himself. 

"I see...so that's how it is...that's what you thought of me all this time...even after how hard I tried to compliment you and make you smile...that's just how it was huh..." 

"Um, Oikawa-san?" you tentatively tried to breach the oppressive aura around him. The male suddenly shifted to face you, however, and you stiffened at the flat expression he now wore. 

"Lunch." 

"Huh?" 

"You said you felt like you should apologise to me, so you're going to do just that. You're treating me to lunch today and I won't let you refuse!" Almost too childishly for a man of nearly twenty-one years and over one and eighty centimetres, the brunet pointed at you as he sentenced you to your punishment. Part of you had to admit, though, the whine in his voice fit the male quite well. Somehow, you thought. 

"Okay," you acquiesced with your hands held aloft in surrender. "Whatever you want to eat, just let me know." 

"We're going into town then," the sienna-eyed third-year huffed and started to exit the building while pointedly looking away from you. 

"Ah, hey! Don't leave me behind if I have to pay!" you complained as you jogged to catch up with his long strides. Your senior only snubbed you petulantly, but you did notice his pace slow just a bit as you caught up to him. Oikawa, however, still refused to look at you and with the way the light of the high sun hit his face, you could not hold back your tongue. 

"Oikawa-san, are you crying?" 

"I am not! I'm not crying because someone I tried to befriend for so long thought I was a selfish jerk! Definitely not!" 

"Here, I have some tissues if you'd like." 

* * *

"So you met Tobio and the little shorty through your neighbour?" Oikawa asked before he took a bite of the half-wrapped sandwich he held in one hand. 

"Simply put, I guess. The two of us actually don't get along very well and it's more because I can't turn down his older brother's requests for me to look out for him. Not that it amounts to much," you admitted with a heavy sigh before munching on your own handheld meal. 

The azure sky was mostly clear as the midday sun cast its light with shine and vigour. It was a little too much, actually, as both you and Oikawa walked through the city at a leisurely pace. The heat was not anything you would call overbearing, but being under its touch long enough while constantly moving made you just a tad uncomfortable as your temperature felt a little too hot. Your mild discomfort was easy to forget though as you chatted with the third-year boy all the while walking back to the main campus. After what you had heard from your underclassmen that were on the volleyball team back in high school, the brunet was really breaking your expectations. Sure your senior liked to tease you and flirt a little, but he kept a respectful barrier of what he would and would not do and he handled your occasional retorts with an amused laugh. Honestly, you had expected Oikawa to be much more impertinent and petty from Hinata's and, especially, Kageyama's stories. Then again, three years was plenty of time for people to change so it was likely the person you currently dealt with had simply matured. Still, every now and then, the brunet would let out a childish whine or bitter comment that certainly bore resemblance to the tales you had heard from the boys. 

"Hmm, and is that prickly little brother the reason you were mimicking Tobio's usual expression earlier?" Oikawa questioned before he popped the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth. As the two of you passed a street waste bin, the male crumpled up and tossed in the paper wrapping with impressive precision. 

"Oh, nice," you complimented the brunet before quickly skipping over and back as you dumped your own waste. "Mm, not really, but what about Tobio-kun's expressions? I didn't actually look that upset, did I?" 

"Well...!" he lilted and only smiled pleasantly, which left you to shake your head with a sigh. 

"Tobio-kun may have...an unsociable default appearance, but he's still my cute junior so don't bully him so much." 

"He was my not-cute junior before he became yours! Therefore, my bullying rights outweigh yours." 

You had no luck holding back an honest laugh at Oikawa's peculiar reasoning. 

Time passed as more jokes and stories were shared between the two of you. Since neither of you were in a rush to return to the college campus, you took your time walking beside the brunet and exchanging tales. The third-year seemed to quickly pick up on what kinds of topics and conversation you enjoyed as you both traded interests. The longer you talked to one another, the more frequently Oikawa was bringing smiles and laughter from you and you would always notice his very much self-satisfied grin after each occurrence. Perhaps the male was simply basking in a somewhat warped sense of accomplishment, but you both enjoyed yourselves so you paid the observation no mind. 

"Ah, the footpath is starting to thin out. You walk in front," your senior suggested. 

"Sure. We're already this close to campus, huh?" you noted as you jogged a little to move a bit further up along the cement walkway. 

"I'm actually supposed to meet up with Iwa-chan just outside the park next to the school. Do you have anything left for today?" There was the rustle of cotton as the male probably readjusted his backpack. 

"Nope. I only have an afternoon class on Tuesdays every other week, so I'm free today," you replied with a relaxed hum. "How about I stick around with you until Iwaizumi-san shows up?" you added as an afterthought and twisted a little to look back at your senior. 

"Really?" Oikawa's expression brightened considerably at your offer before his enthusiasm faltered slightly. "Um, then, since we have a bit more time, can I ask about something?" 

"What is it?" you inquired with an amicable smile just as the two of you reached the metal arch that decorated the formal entrance to the public park. 

"Did something happen?" 

At the sound of that simple, unassuming question, you felt your entire being freeze. Air failed to enter your system, your lungs stilled in their half-inflated state, blood refused to flow, and the lack of feeling in the farthest edges of your senses rapidly receded further and further until your whole body was numb while your heart seemed to stop beating. 

"I..." you could barely breathe out the single word as you tried to keep your expression from betraying your rush of anxious emotions. Before you could say anymore, though, a warm hand landed in your hair. 

"I was just a little bothered, but don't push yourself," Oikawa soothed as he ruffled your hair slightly. "While we were walking, I noticed your back was a little scratched up so I was curious, but that's all." As dazzling and cheery as his smile was, it was obvious the third-year was more than a little bothered. 

"Um, actually Oikawa-san-" you started to speak up, but immediately jumped and halted your voice when the sound of someone's laughter drifted from behind you. A quick glance back showed a small group walking your way and you turned back to your senior with stiff shoulders. 

"Over here," the brunet suggested in a hush as he lightly grasped your wrist and tugged you until you followed him into the park and a little ways within the somewhat secluded woods just past the entrance. A small squeak left you at the sudden pull, but you quickly trailed after the male and away from the possibility of being overheard. 

"So, what were you going to say?" 

"Ah, w-well," you stammered a bit as Oikawa slowed to a stop and turned back to face you. "I can't really...explain what happened in detail, but maybe you could give me some advice?" you pleaded with an unsure quiver. 

"The great Oikawa-san could never turn down a troubled, pretty girl!" The third-year chuckled egotistically, but you found yourself relaxing somewhat at the antics. "So, what can you tell me about your worries?" 

"Um, in short I guess, a friend and I...had a fight?" A wry smile twitched at the corner of your mouth at the heavily twisted explanation. "The thing is, they didn't really seem to be all there--like they were a different person--but it was still them, I suppose. They started doing things completely out of character that I didn't like and I may have gone too far to make them stop." You nearly winced as you recalled the sensation of your knee forcefully connecting with vulnerable flesh. 

"I just have to say this first: I really did not expect you to be the type to get into a physical fight." 

"Th-That's not it!" you immediately countered your senior as he stared at you with wide eyes. "I...the scratches--my back kind of hit a wall." 

As soon as those words left passed your lips, Oikawa's expression fell into something akin to mixed shock and anger. 

"I know I said I didn't want to push, but now I'm really worried." The brunet shuffled a little closer towards you and you stiffened at the slight move. "I don't want to make assumptions, but if you don't make what happened clear to me now, I'm going to think it wasn't a fight at all." 

"I-It was...more like a disagreement," you tried to amend while avoiding any details. The pressure of Oikawa's form towering over your own was making your senses prickle and you stepped back in hopes of regaining some space. "They were being unpleasant and wouldn't stop when I asked so..." 

Flat-soled street shoes followed your every backpedal with their own step forwards. The sound of free-grown grass being crushed under each footfall made your bones jump. Your heart began to beat harder and faster until it raced in a manner that burnt the inside of your chest. Air rushed in and out of your windpipe in short gasps as your throat constricted. Just as your vision started to haze at the high tension of the matched retreating and approaching, your back hit the uneven surface of a tree trunk and your breathing halted. Your eyes closed and your chin tucked in on instinct as your anxiety mounted at the escalating situation. 

The force of Oikawa's palm slamming into the bark above your head caused vibrations strong enough for the wood to shudder against the rear of your skull. 

"Was it something like this?" his words were strained and hushed. The rasp in his voice sent a terrified jolt down your spine. Cold tickled your skin as the third year's larger body hid you from what sparse sunlight made it through the foliage. At the same time, though, the heat of his close proximity irritated your nerves and made you feel as if you would suffocate on the heavy air around him. 

"Hey, I want you to look at me when I'm talking," the brunet ordered flatly as he lowered his body to further cage you in. Fear gripped your thoughts and though your eyes cracked open, you failed to respond to his demands so the male forcefully gripped you chin and turned your face up towards his own. Oikawa's forehead came down to rest against yours to ensure he occupied the entirety of your vision, but you would not have been able to look away in any case. 

Like forming crystals, jagged portions of his irises built atop one another as they shimmered and flashed from sienna brown to a sickly green until the sharp hue had overtaken his sight like a disease. 

"O-Oika...wa-san...?" 

Black lashes fluttered as he blinked leisurely at your call, but that colour of illness and poison still remained when his gaze reconnected with yours. 

"You're...a-also..." The words choked in the back of your throat. 

"'Also', huh?" the brunet huffed and his brow furrowed with his frown. "So it really was one of the others, then. They managed to lure you out and trap you just...like this." 

A strangled squeak left you in place of the terrified shriek you meant to release when the male shifted and blew cold air over the inner curve of your ear. Still being held in place by the hand on your chin, you could feel searing warmth as his cheek pressed against your own. 

"So, tell me." Hushed breaths tickled your skin as his lips and words trailed over jaw line before he reconnected your gaze with his. "Which one was it? Then again, it really is early in the game and there's only a couple of guys who would be this impatient. Ah, don't think of me as the same, though. It's only because they acted first," the brunet commented idly before puffing warm air to ghost over the sensitive skin of your lips. 

The action had your stomach leaping in panic and you weakly pressed your back against the tree. Amongst the frazzled haze of your fears, you managed to stutter in reply, "Wh-Which one...? Th-There are m-more...?!" 

A scowl crossed the third year's expression once more as he brought his face back to somewhat level with yours. 

"Whoever the first degenerate who touched you is, he made an amazingly sloppy attempt." Poisoned irises rolled in mixed contempt and exasperation as he scoffed. In between your anxiety and bewilderment, the meaning of anything the male was spouting was completely lost on you. 

"What...a-are you? First Kuroo-san and now O-Oikawa-san, what's going on?!" the words left you in a strained breath as emotions choked your voice. The edges of your vision began to blur as you realised frightened tears were beginning to form. 

"Ah, the greedy black cat, was it?" the male selectively steered the conversation. "That explains a lot. That guy always did whatever he wanted and messed things up often. Unlike that insatiable slob, I actually plan and prepare for the game, but things are a little different this time around." 

"What are yo-!" your sentence abruptly cut into a muffled squeak as soft lips pressed against yours. Shining irises like crystallised sickness silently laughed at you throughout the short exchange before the senior pulled back and replaced the kiss with a tap of his finger from his free hand. 

"Now, now, I wasn't done just yet. You see, even though that hopeless child has made a mess as usual, I have to thank him for giving me this opportunity," the brunet purred as he leant forward to mockingly brush noses with you. "Let's see, if that guy can't help but want to own everything, I can't help but want everything he owns. I admit to having a bad habit of my own when I play, and it's that I always want to steal away those other guys' toys rather than finding one myself." His grip on your chin released to cup your cheek as his other hand came down and settled at your hip. The warm pad of his thumb gently smoothed over the small bit of exposed skin beneath your clothes and you flinched at the sickeningly warm touch. 

"'Play'? 'Toy'?" The words were heavy on your tongue. In the haze of terror and panic, your mind only managed to belatedly process a small portion of the third-year's toxic speech, but that fraction of understanding was enough for your emotions to well. 

"Attacking me like this is just a game?!" you screamed unabashedly, causing the brunet to flinch slightly in surprise. His mild discomfort only sparked the liquid rage pumping through your veins to boil and burn more. "You and that other disgusting creature and whatever else just think of this sort of sick harassment as some kind of swell pass time?! Leave me alone! And leave Oikawa-san and Kuroo-san and anyone else out of this perverse delusion! You sewer scum pig cur pieces of-!" 

"Will you shut the hell up!" 

The furious edge was completely unlike anything you had ever thought Oikawa could sound like. You knew the male was emphatic and passionate, but you had never been exposed to him or anyone so absolutely enraged. It was deep, harsh, rough, and more words than you could muster in your startled state, but the one way you could most accurately describe his voice at that moment was how its terrifying force and pressure engulfed and snuffed out your own anger in a mere moment with its burning flares. 

"What the hell do you know about any of this? You have no idea what our situation is and yet you want to preach like a virtuous little heroine?" he hissed as the soft palm against your face shifted to press into your throat. "You have it all! Freedom, friends, happiness, a daily life, but despite that you humans just pile up mountains of bile and incompetence! The current me exists because of disgusting people like you who can't see out of their own ass and the shit they've built up, so what's wrong with having such a self-assured species reap what they sow?!" 

"Wh-What are-?" you barely choked out as the undersides of his knuckles pushed against your trachea. 

"Having to witness all these egocentric shitheads act so important day after day pisses me off!" the male hissed only mere millimetres from your face. "Talent, wealth, intelligence, charisma, even luck--I can't stand it! Worthless scum can have just a little of any of this and they can pretend to be the next saviour of the world, but what about those few, few, so few people who have absolutely nothing?" 

He was mad. Whatever in the world was before you, the sick hues you stared at threatened to swallow your sanity in its own vast swells of lunacy. 

"I just want to tear them all down and stand above the fallen garbage. I'll desecrate everything they're oh so proud of and rip it all away from them!" 

He was absolutely mad. Whatever illness he harboured threatened to consume you whole, but he seemed to not even register your desperate clawing at his grip on your neck. 

"But, unfortunately, I'm not allowed to, so you're going to have to suffice as my plaything until I grow bored." 

There was no way to stop the tears that spilled from your eyes. The combined watery obstructions and lack of oxygen quickly blurred your vision and, soon, your other senses began to dim. Amidst the murky world of your perception, the demon--your numbing mind could barely decide on the term to refer to the thing you dealt with--before you may or may not have been laughing at your suffering. You vaguely felt something swipe at your flowing tears. Everything was a jumbled haze as an unintelligible shout rang dully in your ears and the atrocity seemed startled as he pulled his face back from yours. 

In the next few moments, your throat was suddenly freed from the suffocating clamp. 

The blurry figure that previously tortured you flew out of your field of view as another mass that you assumed was a person made contact. Your body fell to the ground and the impact reverberated through your spine. You could barely register the dark sight behind your eyelids and the haggard rasping of your own breaths, but the adrenaline that pumped through your veins pushed your body to move. Pausing just long enough to regain motor control, you staggered back onto your feet in a flurry whilst sloppily grabbing at your bag that had slipped off your form at some point. Without a second thought, you bolted from the area. The thoughts of your surroundings and the people who would see you running madly were completely drowned out by your instinct to flee. Noise buzzed in your ears, but you continued to sprint without a single glance back.


	4. Bloody Crimson

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More drama? More drama.

_Caught a cold._

The blunt message glowed with a faint luminescence that surrounded the black text. Above the standard font words, the familiar contact name of "Kozume-kun" was printed in digital strokes. 

Standing just outside the building entrance, a soft breeze carried away the weary sigh that you released. 

"You're really slow at this kind of thing, aren't you, Kozume-kun?" you muttered sourly as you stared at the concise message. Your eyes drifted to the farthest top edge of your phone screen where the date, day of the week, and time lined the upper strip in small, pixelated characters. The finely displayed words and numbers annoyingly blared to you that you were indeed over fifteen minutes late to your Thursday morning class and, this time, there was no one there with a seat saved just for you. 

Another sigh passed through you before it soon shifted into an irritated groan. Your throat, however, objected to the sound and you fought to control the resulting cough that stretched the thin turtleneck that you wore. Another sigh, far wearier, now peeled at your vocal chords. Despite having Wednesday off to rest and having done practically nothing of value, you still felt exhausted. Since you woke up, dragging yourself anywhere near the university campus had been a heavy struggle and Kenma's blunt alert was the final blow that crushed any and all willingness you had possessed to sit through lectures all day. Tired as you were, for some reason you also could not find your subject notebook for the class. Your only other option had been to leech off of your friend for the time being, but that plan was clearly a bust at the current stage. Just before you closed the conversation thread, your eyes drifted to a couple more messages just above Kenma's latest news that informed you how, while the brunet had returned, Kuroo would be stuck at home for about a week due to family and personal reasons. Feeling a little less anxious at that reminder, you stuffed your phone in a free pocket before you pivoted away from the building and started for a new destination with a weary drag to your strides. 

The sun was tilted in its morning arc across the sky and cast a lazy wave of warmth over the surrounding world. It was still a little too early for lunch, but your stomach had not been in the best condition for breakfast when you awoke. With no motivation left to attend class, you entered the main canteen of the campus and slowly eyed the familiar shops and eateries that lined the walls. With the time being well into the multiple hours that constituted your school's lengthy classes, any usual population and bustle commonly found in the conglomerate of restaurants was mostly absent. Several stragglers--early, late, or even skipping perhaps--were littered about a few scattered tables, but the building was mostly devoid of the noise of socialising. The contact of your every step across the linoleum tiles echoed clearly in the large hall, but you paid no mind to the resonance. As your gaze flicked over and between the options before you, another sigh slipped out. A bitter twist lingered in your stomach as residue of your waking condition and the prospect of a heavy meal made the sensation sicken further. With only a couple of bistro-based options left in terms of light food, you veered along your path towards the nearest one. A sandwich seemed about the limit the irritable pit in your gut could handle. As your attention half-heartedly wandered the meagre options presented to you, a warm tap to your shoulder nearly shocked you off of your feet. 

"Whoa! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You okay?" 

"A-Ah! Yes, um--oh, Iwaizumi-san." 

A breath of relief parted your lips as you recognised the usually stern profile before you, now twisted slightly in apology. The older male's lips quirked into a small smile of greeting before his expression tensed into rather serious concern. 

"I didn't see you around yesterday so I was getting pretty worried..." Iwaizumi trailed off uncertainly, but that only raised a wave of confusion in you. It must have shown as your senior quickly picked his words back up. 

"I mean, after the, uh, incident on Tuesday. At the park, you know?" 

The mention of the location immediately caused a volatile set of memories to spring forth. You could feel bile accompanying the rise of recollections and you had to physically clamp a hand over your mouth for a moment before you gained enough respite to reply. 

"H-How would you--wait then-" you stuttered as the flux of trauma began to make a mess of your coherency. 

"Whoa, calm down there. I guess you did bolt straight away at the time--not that I can blame you." The coal-haired male tried his best to pacify you. His hands were raised and poised to catch you by the shoulders, but he hovered just in front, unsure of whether he could actually touch you. When you seemed to regain yourself a bit, Iwaizumi continued his explanation. "I was the one who, well, punched him off of you. I was going to check on you right after, but you were already gone. I didn't know if finding and dropping by your place was a good idea, so I'm glad you seem well enough to still come to the school. Are you doing okay? Your neck especially, wearing that--" 

An unsure yet relieved smile curled the edges of the third-year's mouth. Though you were trembling from the renewed distress, your senior's attempts at being considerate managed to help you relax a bit. After a gracious few seconds, you were able to rein back control of your body and breathing. A modicum of anxiety continued to flutter in the very dredges of your stomach, but you did your best to ignore the tumbling sensation. 

"I-I see, so that's how it was. Um, it's a little sore, but it mostly just looks worse hence the turtleneck," you managed to reply after catching your breath. "Also, thank you, Iwaizumi-san. Really, thank you so much for your help back then." 

Even though the male's smile was sincere and kind, you could not swallow the painful lump in your throat that ached with your every breath and word. 

"Oh yeah," the third-year seemed to recall as his slate green eyes sparked with realisation before he pulled his bag to the forefront and began to dig through it. "This is yours, right? You kind of dropped it, I guess." 

Within a few seconds, the ink-haired male pulled out a familiar, though slightly dirtied, spiral notebook from the confines of his backpack. A subdued gasp slipped past your lips as you immediately recognised the worn journal that you were handed. 

"These are my notes for my morning class! So they got left behind that time. Thanks again, Iwaizumi-san." A smile, just a bit more relaxed than before, curled at your lips as you retrieved your previously missing work. Your senior returned it with a bright grin. 

"Uh, well," the third-year started off a bit awkwardly, causing your lips to quirk. "I'm glad you're okay. If you need anything, I'll try to help but be careful, all right?" 

Despite the rather flat finish of the conversation, Iwaizumi seemed to have said all he wanted to. It was quite apparent as he flashed you one more crooked smile and turned to make his exit. An impulse, perhaps a newly nurtured fear of being left alone, caused you to quickly grasp the male's forearm before he could step away. Laurel irises snapped towards you and blinked in surprise. You felt yourself freeze for a moment as you made eye contact before sounds could make their way out of your mouth. 

"Ah, um! Can we eat together?" You almost screamed in embarrassment when Iwaizumi only stared at you, dumbfounded. "I mean, I want to ask about what happened! That is, concerning...Oikawa-san, if you knew anything. And also, I don't have your number so if I really did want to ask you for help that would be a bit of a problem." 

"Honestly, there's not much I think I could say about what that guy did, but if you really want to I guess you can ask me whatever's on your mind." The third-year ruffled the back of his hair, seemingly a little shy. "Here, hand me your phone so I can add my number." 

"Sure. How about you do that at one of the tables while I grab some food. What would you like, Iwaizumi-san?" 

"Huh? You don't have to get me anything, I'm fine," your senior declined. 

"If you say so then. Here." Though a little guilty that you could not thank the male for his help how you wanted, you relented the matter as well as your open phone before turning back to the stall near you. After quickly deciding on a meal, your stomach feeling quite a bit better now, you called for one of the workers in the back of the space and requested your order. Within several minutes, you carried your food over to the small two-person table that Iwaizumi had seated himself at. You placed your purchase down, pocketed your phone that was left for you on your side of the table, and took the seat across from him. 

"Sorry for the wait," you apologised as you set your bag down and made yourself as comfortable as you could in the steel fold-out chair. 

"No problem. So what did you want to ask?" Moss-green eyes gazed directly into your own with such forwardness that you felt a little intimidated, but that was always how Iwaizumi Hajime was--as far as you knew. 

"Well, is there anything...odd about Oikawa-san? Like a reason that he would--I mean, it's not like I really know him in the end, but he just didn't seem the type to snap like that." Trying to step around the events of that day only called them forth more vividly from within your memory. You quickly took a bite of food in order to distract yourself even a little. 

"That guy has a lot of sides that would surprise you, trust me. He's stupidly fragile even," Iwaizumi responded with a weariness that spoke of a lot of time and experience, but the scowl that turned his lips reflected more confusion than ire. "He may be a huge pain in the ass, but he's an earnest guy. He puts work and effort into what he wants and would never wittingly resort to that kind of thing. I know what's done is done, but honestly, Oikawa is not that kind of person. Or wasn't." 

As you watched the coal-haired male try to reason the actions of his childhood friend, you found yourself relating his struggle with your own feelings and the incident with Kuroo. Everything that occurred was completely out of the realm of possibility for the person in question, which meant whatever was targeting you had nothing to do with the supposed hosts themselves. No matter what atrocious acts they physically carried out, they were not a conscious party, as the first encounter claimed. The people you knew were kind and sincere. 

"So that wasn't the real Oikawa-san," you stated rather than asked. 

"That's what I'd like to say, but sometimes maybe you just don't really know a guy," Iwaizumi practically spat. 

Seeing the frustration that furrowed his brow and the pain that pressed his teeth into his lip, you wanted to assure him that it had not been Oikawa at all. Explaining to a senior that you did not entirely know, however, that both of your friends were seemingly possessed by some malevolent existences did not hold a favourable prospect for turning out well. 

"I'm sorry," you could not help but apologise in hopes of easing the male's distress. 

"Please, you have no reason to say sorry," he immediately assured you, though obviously quite frustrated and weary in breath. 

"Right," you mumbled around another bite of food. "Um, Iwaizumi-san, if you don't mind me asking, what happened at the park? How did you find us?" 

The scowl that marred your upperclassman's face only deepened at your question. Hesitation mixed with confusion, worry, and concern lit his eyes and furrowed his brow. 

"I-I just want to know so I can make sense of what happened. Right now, it feels intangible. As if I couldn't do anything and I can't do anything in the future. It's terrifying, like something else is pulling strings around me," you tried your best to coherently explain. More than the monsters you were now dealing with, the terror and submission that crept in your veins waiting to chain your flesh was your worst enemy. If you could not garner some sort of sense of control over your own existence, you knew you would become easy prey. 

"Ah, I get it." Despite his acquiescence, Iwaizumi clearly still held reservations. "To make it short, Oikawa and I were supposed to go to our shared class together that day after meeting at the park like we usually do. My class right before is the building across the street from there. When he didn't show up, I asked around to see if he had ditched me and someone told me they had seen him pulling someone--you, evidently--into the woods." 

As the male recounted his side of the story, a grimace pulled at his expression and his hands atop the small table were fisted in restrained agitation. Your felt your stomach roll slightly as a cold anxiety started to bubble within you, but you continued to calm yourself with small bites of your meal. 

"When I went searching, I eventually heard the bastard's shouting and ran in that direction. I was so intent on giving him a good kick for running off with what I thought was a hook-up that I didn't actually hear what he was raving about, so I wasn't expecting...that situation." It was at this point that your senior's breath, a venomous hiss as he spoke, hitched. The male gritted his teeth and had to take a moment to quell the quivering anger that made him pause in his retelling. 

"I saw him with a grip around your throat and you were crying. I snapped when I realised just those two things and jumped in. After years of being around that guy, I guess it's completely reflexive to simply punch the shit of the asshole and then leave him to rot afterwards," Iwaizumi spat with unadulterated fury. His words rattled your guts in a sick rhythm and you wanted to tell the coal-haired third-year that you had heard enough, but his anger over the recollection seemed to have reached a boiling point that could not be contained. 

"Just fuck that guy at this point! I've put up with so much of his bullshit and covered I don't even know how many of his fuck ups at this point. I'm beyond pissed that this is what he's fallen to! The bastard just pisses me off!" 

One of the male's fists slammed violently against the tabletop and you swore the iron alloy dented under the force. A glint of red caught your eye as what could have only been the slightest bit of blood slipped from the confines of his palm due to the third-year's fingernails digging more than a tad too harshly into his flesh. Perhaps it was the mental shock of seeing the red liquid, but you swore that same ferocious red flashed through Iwaizumi's laurel eyes for a split second. 

"E-Excuse me!" 

Cheap steel screeched as you abruptly backed up your chair to stand, a hand flattened against the table for support. Your half-eaten meal was dropped sloppily atop the surface, but the loss of the now unappetising food was hardly a concern at the moment. 

"S-Sorry, Iwaizumi-san. I-If you'll excuse me for a moment. Um, bathroom," you spluttered out an excuse before vacating your seat as an irritated syllable of confusion left the male. The question was left unanswered as you speed-walked to the nearest restroom. 

As you turned the corner to disappear into the hall lined with a drinking fountain and two doors for the separated bathrooms, you scarcely managed to take a full step before your knees buckled. A flurry of terror and confusion incapacitated your motor functions for a moment and the rough wall against your shoulder was your only support from collapsing onto the floor. Those same torrential emotions, however, soon triggered adrenaline to burst through your system and you managed to half-drag yourself into the restroom. The high quickly wore off and you stumbled forwards as best you could before resting your weight against the most likely dirty ceramic of the nearest wall-mounted sink. In what little of a reprieve you could manage, you tried to calm your racing heart and breathe with confidence. Falling to your mounting anxiety and paranoia was the last thing you wanted at that moment. 

It was, at least, until the violent slam of the bathroom door being kicked open vibrated right into your very bones. 

"That was a little rude, don't you think?" 

The voice that echoed against the tiled walls was deep and laced with a venomous growl that injected sub-zero ice into your veins. 

"Nothing to say? I'm fuckin' talking here, aren't I?" 

The squeal of rubber soles against linoleum flooring with each deliberate step reverberated into the very depths of your marrow. You dared not spare even a glance back as you desperately scrambled along the line of sinks in an attempt to put any sort of distance between the two of you. 

"How absolutely goddamn pathetic." 

Pure poison pooled and stewed in the pit of your stomach when you reached the back wall and the squeak of approaching horror continued to sound not far behind you. Your legs were shaking, your palms were sweating, and positively pure, primal fear soaked the finest fibres of your flesh. Overcome by a sick horror so potent that it blanked your thoughts into a form of blind bravery, you turned to press your back against the chilling tiles and face the approaching monster. 

No sooner than when you did, the heel of one of those stalking rubber soles slammed into the wall right next to you. The material grazed your right hip as his foot slid back to the floor. 

"What a pain the ass," Iwaizumi growled. 

His body loomed over your own and the unadulterated fright of touching him managed to keep your already bent knees from completely collapsing under your terrified body's weight. Your arms, curled pensively in front of your frame, were the last form of barrier you had left as the agitated male caged you in. The coal-haired third-year kept his face level with your own and you could only wish you were having a nightmare rather than living one. Like boiling lava, the colour of blood started to rise from the bottom rim of his irises. The scorching liquid would bubble and pop as the hue slowly washed up to swallow and soak into his eyes. Almost excruciatingly so, you watched Iwaizumi's gaze slowly burn into fiery pools, yet being caught in his sight sent chills through your blood. 

"You should have kept your nose out of our business, brat," the male hissed just centimetres from your face. "You just had to know it all though--understand everything--and look where that's landed you. My host got so worked up that I'm out here!" Your senior, at least physically speaking, barked out a harsh laugh lacquered with sarcasm and ridicule. He sneered at you with glinting crimson eyes. 

"Who--What...the hell are you?" 

Even you were surprised at your own outburst while the thing before you blinked at your raspy exclamation. His surprise, however, quickly gave way to renewed annoyance clearly expressed by the increased furrow of his brow and snarling scowl. 

"Watch your mouth, little swine!" he hissed, face now so close his nose brushed against your own. The contact sent nauseous waves rolling through your stomach. "I'm not like those other two dipshits who are satisfied so easily with a little romp and play. Owning people or stealing them isn't my kind of game." 

With nowhere else to look, the crooked and demented grin that contorted the face before you was absolutely terrifying. Whatever had trapped you this time clearly had a different modus operandi that you would not--compared to before--escape from unscathed. Your stomach lurched so forcefully at the notion that you swore you felt the organ's weight in your chest for a moment. 

"Now that I think about it, ignorance is bliss, right? Do you really want to know all about this little storm you seem to be caught in?" In a rather abrupt switch, the red-eyed male's mood shifted as he hummed almost cheerily. "I wonder how much it'll hurt to know you can't do jack shit about any of this." 

A sardonic chuckle left his lips and you could feel the ice begin to creep through your flesh once more. 

"Did you think you had some sort of chance of--god it makes me laugh--'saving' your friends? For the record, you can't do a single fucking thing. We don't exist in a corporeal sense, so those other fools and I pretty much go ahead and jack a body when we come out to play. You can't so much as touch us and these sacks of flesh have no idea about anything either. The last guy, the one that this body punched square in the face, he ranted a bit about the reason, right?" 

Despite the flippant tone and slurring ease that he spoke with, the male's words cut into you with the weight of their malice. If you had retained any hope of keeping a grasp on your situation, it was being ground into smithereens at that very moment. 

"He was screaming about you humans and your faults and stuff. If you really want to know so bad, I'll explain it just for you," he practically sang, enjoying the anxiety that was clearly building within you. 

"When you oh-so-righteous humans get too free and irresponsible, a little something called Karma comes back for your kind. The mass of wrongdoings and other douchebaggery is usually concentrated into little bottles, so to speak. The debt for all of your human bullshit keeps getting cramped away until, when those bottles are about to burst, we're set free to pay back the hell your pathetic kind deserves. Unfortunately, life isn't particularly fair and retribution doesn't get handed out as exactly due." 

Roughly, a palm came to clap your cheek in a sickeningly affectionate manner. The coal-haired male was clearly mocking you, but you could not even lift your tongue to retaliate. 

"You see, from being stuffed into such a small space for so long, us resentments, I guess you can call us, get all tangled together and end up stuck as a single mass. Rather than being able to seek out each and every bastard who owe something down to the smallest little spite, we become a conglomerate of common dirt with an indiscriminate desire to vent. We take a body we feel comfortable with and do as we like to balance the load. Until we're satisfied, we'll rampage without a care since that's how the system works. It's our right, after all." 

Your breath hitched as calloused fingers slipped under your clothing and brushed against your neck, the contact burning hot on your skin. 

"It seems you, little swine, were designated to be our misfortunate rag doll this time." 

Slowly, torturously, the inner edge of the male's palm pressed against the flesh of your throat. Your muscles contracted in response and you choked under the pressure as you were lifted just high enough that your toes barely held your weight against the floor. Alongside the slow strangling, shocks of old pain from the already present bruising pierced directly into the nervous cord of your spine. 

"Hey, I'm not going all out yet so tell me: how's it feel?" Hot breath ghosted your lips as he whispered the condescending question. "The moment where I'm crushing your entire world just by telling you a simple story, I wanna' know. Although, your face alone is already so agonised I can't get enough of it." 

As you desperately writhed and pulled at the offending limb you were caught under, contemptuous laughter echoed around you. 

"Oh just look at yourself, wild with panic and struggling so hard already! I haven't even gotten to the truly fun part yet!" 

As his sentence finished on a high note, he roughly jolted his grip, causing you to splutter and choke on the sudden pressure as your head knocked against the wall. Then his other hand, your flesh feeling seared where touched, gripped one of your wrists and slowly squeezed down on the vulnerable joint. 

"Hey, how loud will you scream if I break your bones like this? Even though you're so deprived of air you're on the verge of passing out? I can't wait to see what kind of expressions you make!" Laughter spilled forth from the creature, manic and ecstatic. 

"S-Sto--ugh--p...!" you gasped through your strained breathing. What little air you managed to intake quickly escaped you in pained squeaks and silent screams as your wrist was slowly crushed by your captor's grip. 

"C'mon, swine, you can do better than that," he prompted lowly. A chuckle vibrated against your dulling senses as audible discomfort creaked from your tortured joint. 

"I...wazu...mi...sa..." 

"You pitiful little doll," he crooned. "Your precious senior, the one who just promised to try to protect, is about to break you and he'll never even realise it. You'll suffer and anguish under these hands until I get bored, and then you'll be left with this torment and not a person left in the world to turn to. Can you feel it? The heaviness of despair, the scorch of pain?" 

The male's grip on your wrist shifted and you managed an audible, cracked and subdued as it was, yelp as his nails dug into your flesh. The offending appendages broke past the skin with no hesitation and blood quickly welled up from the wounds. The glint of light as scarlet rolled down your trapped arm perfectly matched the crazed gaze that drank in your suffering with nothing but glee. 

"Don't be giving up anytime soon, though. There's plenty more I want you to experience before you shatter for me." 

"Oh, is someone in here?" 

Completely absorbed in the situation at hand, neither of you had noticed the bathroom door creak open. Keeping the door propped, a yellow trolley filled with a variety of cleaning supplies had been pushed in with the aging woman that the voice must have belonged to still out of sight behind it. Even though you registered the janitor's presence in your mind, you were far from lucid enough to yell at her for help. You did not need to make a sound, however, as the man holding you captive spat out a harsh curse and quickly released his grip on your body. Still reeling from the treatment, you barely caught yourself from slamming your face into the tiled floor as you fell to your hands and knees though half your form collapsed as your damaged wrist crumpled under the excruciating strain of the landing. 

"Shit shit shit-" 

Whatever he said after that point was lost on you as, amidst your ragged gasping for breath, you scrambled to your feet and made a dash for it. An extra rough shout sounded behind you, but you refused to falter and headed straight for the exit. Unfortunately, directly in the way of the door was the recently appearing janitorial staff that you half-crashed into. 

"What in the-!" 

"Don't!" you rasped as loudly as you could. 

Not even sure she understood the true urgency of your warning, you managed to slip past her without further trouble and bolted down the hallway. Pure adrenaline fuelled your muscles as you sprinted with the goal of out of the bathroom, out of the mess hall, and in the general direction of away from the godforsaken campus. Some sick shuffling of priorities in the midst of things reminded you to haphazardly swipe your school bag from where you had left it as you dashed past the seating area. With the extra weight picked up, you ran for your life. 

Oxygen, however, burned quickly in a panic and even more so with a battered throat. Soon, you were half-collapsed against a decorative tree gasping for air. A few heads may have turned your way as they passed you by on the sidewalk, but you gave not a care in the world. Your mind was still a muddled mess and your only coherent goal was to get away--get somewhere safe. When your legs managed to move again, albeit whilst enduring a muted searing pain, you continued on your way in a weary shuffle. Every soft sway of your slowed pace rattled the aching bones of your assaulted wrist but you did not have the breath left to whine. After a period of time that you already could no longer remember, you had somehow made it to your apartment and stumbled your way in after unlocking the door. You immediately locked, bolted, and chained the entryway as soon as you closed it. The exhaustion of your day's trials then rushed your body and you had no complaints as you dropped your bag at the door and collapsed halfway out of the entry hall right onto your living room floor. 

Body aching, vision blurred, and mind muffled, you were ready to simply pass out to catch some sort of rest when an incessant buzzing vibrated through your sore muscles. A breathless groan passed your dry lips as you retrieved your phone from its pocket. One glance at the screen was all it took for you to snap alert. 

The light behind the glass blared with a notice for an incoming call and the bolded name it presented you with was enough to make you sick. It was naturally only the first time the contact had ever appeared on your device, having just been added mere hours ago, but you were going to be sure it would be the last. Without another moment wasted, you declined the call and quickly entered your contacts list. Finding the entry quickly, you mentally noted the number before deleting the information and then re-entering the number, this time to block them and any future attempts at contact. As soon as it was done, you weakly hurled your phone onto your nearby couch and dropped back flat onto the ground, consciousness already waning as sleep weighed your gaze into darkness.


	5. Honey Brown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one of my personal favourite chapters and also when I realised that the reader kept getting attacked after eating. Admittedly, I laughed, but also cried. It's like a dumb horror cliche.

Blackness and a sore chilliness were the first things you registered when your mind began to stir. As the lethargic fog of unconsciousness dissipated, your brain slowly warmed back up to a point of functionality. The ache in your muscles and layer of undesirable discomfort along your skin were physical memories of the previous day that you mentally repressed for the moment, barely lucid as you were. Both distracting yourself and focusing on important matters, you decided that a long reprieve involving hot water and a sense of cleanliness was vital. With that goal in mind, you peeled your numb cheek from the wooden floor and awkwardly shuffled to a stand. Your joints popped and your flesh prickled as blood flowed with the movement. Time seemed irrelevant while you threw your sluggish limbs about and, before you could fully register the sequence of events, you were soaking your soreness away in a hot bath. The water lapped the grime from your skin and the heat loosened the tension in your muscles. Though your body felt the bliss of relaxation, your mind quickly regained sense with help from the warm steam and your thoughts refused to let you rest. 

No matter what you wanted to convince yourself of otherwise, the truth had been ground into you yesterday--literally as your various scabs and bruises liked to remind you. A hellish hunt was going on and you were the game target. Furthermore, you had no way of identifying your pursuers or, rather, you did not want to let yourself become paranoid over the possibilities. All of the people possessed so far had been some level of acquaintance to you, but that did not necessarily dictate that all of your friends were a threat and you had no idea how many of those things even existed to begin with. The danger could be limited to only the three you experienced before, but the opposite was also a possibility and one you did not want to be true. Soon enough, your mind only managed to run in circles as it attempted to chase reason. Sensing a headache coming on, you forced yourself to drop the issue for the time being and finished up your bath before you caught a cold. After you went through the motions of clean up and were comfortably dressed down, you found yourself sprawled across your couch in a mild daze. You were awake, but hardly possessed the energy to be active. As you shifted restlessly atop the seating, a dull corner poked into your waist and you let out a small grunt. After a bit of shuffling and awkward stretching you managed to retrieve what revealed itself to be your phone after having tossed it onto the sofa in weariness, as you then remembered. When you lit up the screen--the battery life in the corner being dangerously low caught your fleeting attention--the time displayed itself boldly and you groaned in response. The digital pixels blared that your usual Friday morning lecture would start in the next twenty or so minutes. Typically, this would be enough time for you to make it to the large hall just about on the dot if you left immediately, except you did not want to. You had every right to ignore mundane reality for a while after everything you suffered, but the responsible part of you that prioritised education and money was not particularly pleased. Even if you had wanted to attend though, your body ached and holding your phone already pushed your physical limit. Circumstances considered, you opened your messages and found Kenma's familiar name. Swiftly and probably somewhat incoherently, you bluffed some sort of excuse for skipping and apologised before asking him to help you catch up at a later date. After all was finished and sent, a tired sigh left you. The guilt for skipping a class was contextually unreasonable, but it was there. 

As you lay prone on your furniture, you found yourself almost drifting off and let out a small groan. You clearly needed some proper rest and the couch was not your ideal place for such. Gathering all of your will, you heaved your sore muscles to stand and dragged your feet over to your bedroom with your phone in hand. After entering and then slapping the door closed after, you shuffled over to your desk and plugged a charger into your phone. With that taken care of, you stumbled and flopped onto your bed, barely curled up in comfort before your consciousness dimmed into blissful rest. 

The world was, once more, murky and muffled to your senses at best. Images and actions weakly flickered among the serene darkness, but there was a soft buzz in the back of your mind that caused you to stir. Despite your comfort, that incessant ringing continued to separate you from the intangible world of peace and discontinued time. As the vibrations rattled your skull, thoughts began to bubble along with your growing consciousness and you eventually realised that the noise was in fact not inside your mind, but some sort of wooden echo just outside of your reach. As the thrumming continued, your brain roused itself and lucidity began to surface. Your vision was dim and blurry for a bit until you managed to blink it clear and immediately searched for the increasingly annoying disturbance. Soon enough, you registered your phone sliding and shifting atop your desk as an alarm caused the device to vibrate incessantly. With a will scrounged from the most minute cells of your being, you heaved your body off of your bed and just far enough to reach the electronic. A short fumble and small struggle later, you unplugged the connected cord and managed to flop back onto the very edge of your mattress. Your phone continued to shake and shout until you answered the call. 

"Hello?" you greeted groggily through your weariness and waking ire. 

"I hope that's your grumpy-tired voice and not your sick voice," the other end of the line teased in response and you shot up awake as you recognised them. 

"Aki-nii!" You were elated to hear someone so familiar and you felt a grin stretch across your lips as he laughed at your excitement. 

"Wide awake now, I'm guessing?" Akiteru chuckled once more and you could perfectly envision the male's kind smile. 

"Yes, I am. You woke me up from a really nice nap, but I'm happy to hear from you again. I mean, Kei-kun is always brushing me off." 

"Ahh, he's still as cold as ever, huh? He may be my little brother, but he's really not cute, that guy," the older male lamented half-jokingly before you both shared a laugh. "Speaking of Kei, how is the whole tutoring thing going? I know it's a lot to ask and I'm sorry for the trouble, but he really needs the push to achieve now. Just doing "fine" isn't going to cut it in college after all." A restrained sigh vibrated through the speaker and you could almost see him ruffling his sandy blond hair in apology. 

"Even though I wouldn't ever turn down a request from Aki-nii and especially not Auntie, I'm doing this of my own free will so don't worry. Kei-kun will have no choice but to thank me when he's set for life before he even realises it!" you assured your childhood friend. "Although, it would help if he actually bothered to come to our scheduled sessions." 

"Ouch," the other side quipped with immediate understanding. "I'll talk to him later for you, all right? I really appreciate it though, honestly. Thank you." The absolute sincerity in his voice caused fluttering warmth to bloom beneath your ribs and your throat constricted with sentimentality when Akiteru called your name in that ever-affectionate tone of his. 

"No, I need to thank you, Aki-nii. As soon as we have a break, I'm coming back to visit so you better be there!" 

"Visit your own family first!" he chided you, though unable to hold back a snicker. 

"But you're basically my second family anyways," you countered. 

"You always make it impossible for me to argue," Akiteru conceded with a dramatic sigh. "I have to get going now, but I'm glad I managed to get a hold of you again--even if you sounded as if you were going to bite my head off at first." 

"It was a really good nap," you huffed before you smiled to yourself. "I'll always make time for you when I can, you know that. Take care, Aki-nii." 

"You too, Little Sis'." 

With that farewell, the line cut off. 

As you lowered your phone from your ear, you could still feel yourself smiling. There were people who cared for you and loved you; they were both near and far but they were there and that was what mattered. 

"All right. I can't let myself lose so easily!" you cheered yourself on and bared a fist in determination. You double-checked the time both on your phone and the alarm clock atop your desk, the digital displays claiming that you had plenty of time until your afternoon class. Your midmorning nap had lasted a good couple of hours and, combined with the pleasant surprise of a phone call, you felt refreshed. 

A low grumble suddenly groaned from your stomach and ended in a squelch as the organ twisted somewhat painfully. 

Silence followed the complaint until you let out an impressed laugh. With food clearly an immediate need, you pulled yourself to a stand and made way for the kitchenette. Though your pep had been restored, you were still a little weak and thus opted to peruse your fridge contents before you popped some leftovers into the microwave. Though a bit old, your stomach gratefully welcomed the warm meal. After satisfying your hunger, you went back to your room to change into clothes better suited for walking the city. Although the bath and rest had eased away most of your aches, the physical bruises and scabs of the previous day would not heal so quickly. Prints of puce and chartreuse wrapped around the column of your neck and stained the skin with evidence of its endured abuse. Of lesser concern, but still present, several healing wounds of raised flesh littered with the remnants of scabs marked your wrist and forearm with crescent seals. If you attempted to twist your joints too far, the skin would be pulled taut and the marks burned a little under the stretch. Clearly, you had no other choice for the day but to wear your longest sleeves and your highest turtleneck. Thankfully, the weather was the dreariest today than it had been all week and easily justified your choice of apparel. Dark clouds crept upon the sky and hid the sun behind curtains of ash and smudged oil. You could see no sign of it having rained while you napped, so the precipitation was sure to pour down at some point before the night. 

The clock on your desk now read about forty minutes till your afternoon session. With relaxed ease, you cleaned up your removed clothes and straightened out your bed from your earlier rest. After the room was in order once more, you left it for a moment to retrieve your previously abandoned schoolbag from the other day. If you wanted to go to class, you needed to switch to the right books. When you returned and opened your bag, however, the first thing that caught your eye was a notebook notably dirtier around the edges and with corners bent a little too much. A grimace immediately crossed your face, but you forced the rising emotions away and swiftly removed the item along with your other materials from yesterday. As much as you would have liked to toss the physical memento of both incidents that tattooed your body with blood clots and grime, you did not exactly have the time to make a complete copy of all of the work painstakingly pencilled and scratched in there. 

Shaking off the detouring train of thought, you stuffed a different set of work and stationary into your bag and dropped the original pile onto your desk to deal with later. After one last glance over proved that all was in place, you trekked out with your bag and closed the apartment door behind you before locking it. Copper-plated keys chimed dully in the humid air and the moisture sent a chill down your spine. 

* * *

The rasping of writing graphite echoed with a muffled vibrato as more than a dozen different utensils formed an orchestra within the small room. Just above the single doorway out of the ear-grating room hung a minimalist clock whose hands conducted the steady beat that held the etude of paper and pencils together. Amidst the melody of practise and ponder, your pencil tapped an impatient tempo in sixteenths. For every fourth or fifth staccato note that you drummed, the timepiece metronome only moved forward a single beat. 

"Staring at it just makes everything feel slower." 

The hushed reprimand from over your shoulder caused you to jump in your seat, but thankfully your knee that rocketed barely brushed the underside of the table. You turned your head from the taunting clock to give Akaashi a mixed expression of irritation and pleading. The male spared you an exasperated glance before he continued with his notes. A grumble began to rise in your throat, but was cut off by your teacher as he announced the class as finished. His farewells were washed away by the burst of pent up chatter and excitement for the weekend. To your right, Akaashi smoothly slipped his tools back into their case and flipped his books closed with barely a rustle. The amount of finesse your friend possessed was truly baffling at times what with how refined he made something as simple as packing his bag seem. 

"You okay?" Tektite irises stared down your frozen form and a worried frown pulled at the corners of his mouth. 

"Ah, yeah--sorry, I just spaced out a bit," you apologised as you hurriedly stuffed your own class materials into your bag and hoisted it up. 

"But there's something on your mind. You can't tell me there isn't when you were so preoccupied with tapping your pencil that I heard it crack," Akaashi said so pointedly that you felt a physical jab in your ribs. He still held the door open for you as the two of you exited the classroom, though. 

"It's nothing"--you squeaked at the glare your friend immediately fixed on you--"big! I mean it's not a big deal! I was expecting to finally get some tutoring in with Kei-kun today, but he cancelled again. To make it worse, he threw in some extra harsh jabs about his older brother nagging him for my sake." A pitiful whine left your throat when Tsukishima's backhanded complaints flashed through your mind and your dragged a hand down your face as you slowly descended the second floor stairs. "I don't deserve this, do I? I'm a good person, I swear I am, so why is everyone turning against me like this?" 

"Not that I'm saying you're a bad person, but asking in that way doesn't exactly help your case." He shot you an unenthused glance. 

"You're supposed to support me! I'm going to come in the middle of the night and steal your fridge, you traitor!" 

Akaashi chuckled at your ridiculous threat and offered a smile in apology. A pout still hung on your lips, but you had to admit that the umber-haired male's soft expression was a wonder of the universe. 

"So I take it you're free today?" he asked. 

"When am I not free on Friday afternoons these days?" you responded, equally rhetorical, causing your friend to sigh. 

"In any case, if you have the time, then you should use it to relax. It's not your fault that Tsukishima is being uncooperative so don't beat yourself up over it," he soothed as the two of you exited the building. "I'm also pretty sure there's plenty more eating at you, but that's beside my point for now. Let's take advantage of your empty schedule and wind down." 

With a rather rare pep, the male hopped the short stairs of the building entrance. Loose gravel that had been slowly chipped away from the old stone crunched under his soles and crackled as Akaashi spun back slightly to face you. A confident yet kind smile lit his expression and you felt your heart jump as the afternoon light framed his lithe body, charcoal locks shimmering just enough to perfect the composition. 

"If I didn't know you better, I'd almost think you were inviting me on a date," you teased to cover your momentary fluster as you quickened your steps to fall beside your friend once more. 

"That so? Well, if that would make you feel bet-" 

"Hey, hey, hey! Did I just hear something about a date?!" a third voice suddenly boomed as a heavy weight collided with your back and a warm arm looped over your far shoulder. The excited person kept calling each of your names as he demanded a reply. 

"Bokuto-san!" Akaashi and you chastised in unison. The male in question had latched onto both of you from behind and was being none too conservative with his weight. 

"C'mon, answer me! Are you two going out now? What am I supposed to tell Kuroo-kun? Hey!" the third-year drawled and prodded. 

When he mentioned that name, your shoulders stiffened and it felt as if your tongue swelled to an immovable size. Bistre irises met your own for a moment before your senior called for attention once more, rattling you two with his grip. Thankfully, Akaashi easily cleared the facts with speed and experience. 

"Bokuto-san, you're mistaken. It was a joke so please calm down." 

"Just a joke? Aw man, that's actually kind of disappointing--I thought I would get to oversee my two adorable juniors through young romance," Bokuto whined as his excitement deflated. 

"Not to be rude, but you're heavy, Bokuto-san," you piped up with a slight squeak. When the third-year had started to sulk, he rested even more of his body weight on you and you were starting to overheat a bit with his close proximity. 

"Whoa, sorry there," he apologised as he lifted himself off of the both of you. "So, where are we going today?" 

The well-built male grinned and cocked his head towards you as he awaited an answer. A little off to the side, Akaashi also turned his attention onto your form and his taupe gaze seemed to watch you with some sort of expectation. 

"Huh?" was your only response. 

"You're supposed to choose where we're eating, remember?" the other second-year reminded you. 

"I picked that crepe shop last time so it's your turn," Bokuto added. 

"Oh, right--forgot about that, sorry," you apologised with an embarrassed chuckle. "Uh, well, I actually wanted to do some shopping so maybe we can just grab something at the mall?" 

"That reminds me! I heard from Yukie that the old smoothie bar there got replaced with a karaage shop. I've been wanting to try it!" your senior piped up with excitement, already headed in the direction of the bus stop. 

"Ah, I remember Konoha-san also mentioned that the new stall in the mall had some good variety and not just meat," Akaashi supplied as well. The tektite-eyed male glanced at you for final confirmation and you gave him a smile. With something like a plan made, you and Akaashi quickly caught up with a paused Bokuto before your party made way for the nearest connecting bus stop. 

The sky had dimmed considerably despite it not being that late in the afternoon and you hoped the clouds would withhold the undeniable rain for just a bit longer. As the three of you walked amongst easy conversation, a chill weighed the air with its threat and you gave in to a sneeze upon arrival at the pick up location. The wait for transport was minimal as Bokuto complained about classes and you made a joke, only to have Akaashi's own wit come out on top. By the time the bus arrived and your group boarded, a new topic of interest was already being discussed. The ride through the city was decently packed as the early wave of salary men and office ladies were already on their way home, but the ride was relatively quick and you were soon able to freely stretch your arms once more. You took a short break from the conversation while you led your group into the city mall. The two boys--mostly your older friend--chatted about some other acquaintances of theirs and you let their voices become comfortable white noise until you were personally addressed. 

"So what are you here for again?" Bokuto asked despite having received an answer earlier on the bus. 

"Just a couple shirts since some of mine are too old and worn now," you replied anyways, already used to the third-year's peculiarities. 

"Oho, did you want opinions?" your senior lilted with a mischievous grin. 

"As much as I appreciate the expertise, I don't feel like having my fashion sense ripped to shreds today." 

"It is my duty as a friend to tell you the truth and help," Akaashi huffed and quirked an offended eyebrow. "Compared to Konoha-san at least, I kindly take your opinion into account instead of making it cut and dry." 

"In that case, please make sure I never meet this other friend of yours," you pleaded with a grimace, unsure of how anything could be worse than Akaashi's fashion advice. Granted, you always looked great afterwards and did in fact love the clothes your friend would guide you to pick out, but your confidence would be a little more than shattered after even a short shopping session together. 

From the side, Bokuto clicked his tongue. "Aw, and here I was hoping you'd model this time," he whined and sported a disappointed pout. 

"Another time, I promise," you relented, patting the male's broad shoulder in assurance. 

The conversation easily shifted elsewhere as your group entered the store you had been looking for. You made quick work of shopping for a variety of reasons--avoiding critical bistre eyes being the main one. Comfortable chatter continued as you paid and exited, new clothes tucked safely into your schoolbag. A rumble vibrated in your stomach, sound otherwise muffled by the mall's rancour, so you mentioned food and your friends were more than obliged to agree on heading toward the food court. 

"I'm not sure what else we should have expected," Akaashi said, just barely audible above the noise of the crowd. 

Weekend evenings at a mall were far from empty, you knew, but seemed to have forgotten. City malls and their size were nothing to scoff at which meant their rest areas were proportionately large to house high traffic, but the sight before you was certainly daunting. Nearly two-dozen different chains and stalls lined the circular hall that provided variety and adventure. In the middle sat the majority of tables and chairs organised behind a low, steel bar fence in order to leave some walking space in front of the shops. That entire middle ring was filled with queues for every store and not a seat seemed open at a glance. Waiting was a natural part of shopping, but your stomach gave an aching reminder of its demands. 

"C'mon, don't look so gloomy, you two! We'll just chat the wait time away and then have delicious food in our hands before we know it," Bokuto encouraged you both, plus a hearty slap to the shoulders. You almost keeled at the force, but did your best to simply brush it off since the brass-eyed male was trying to be positive. 

"The longer we take to get in line the longer we'll wait, I guess," you admitted. Surrendering to societal order, you briskly made it to the back of your intended queue with your friends in tow. 

Though he had his fair share of faults, you truly did appreciate Bokuto's innate cheer and energy. True to his word, time soon escaped your notice as conversation between the three of you flowed with excitement--mostly thanks to the third-year. The pewter-haired male talked without restraint and exuded a liveliness that let him bring up the most irrelevant topics with interest. Combined with Akaashi's contrasting wit and knowledge, the two were interesting to simply listen to if you withheld your own input. It was one of his gifts though, you supposed, as nearly anything Bokuto said could and would rile some sort of response from you and thus weaved you comfortably into the conversation. As you talked the minutes away, your group would take a couple of steps forward every so often until you took a blind sidestep and bumped right into the plastic-topped counter. 

"May I take your order?" a polite, though a bit tired sounding, male asked as you righted yourself from the collision. 

"One karaage set!" Bokuto immediately replied. 

"Two siopao please." 

"The B Combo for me--thanks," you tacked on last and offered a smile as the cashier confirmed your order. Just as you were about to reach for some cash to pay for your part, however, a lithe hand set a card atop the small tray waiting on the counter. 

"You two can pay me back later; I'd rather not hold up the line," Akaashi explained before you could voice an objection and the cashier pulled the plastic dish back over, shutting down anything you could have said otherwise. 

"Do I have to?" Bokuto prompted as he received a plastic lunch box. 

"You can take your time, but please do, Bokuto-san." The second-year fixed his senior with a stern a look for extra measure before the tray and Akaashi's card were returned to him. 

"All right, all right," the taller male acquiesced as you were each handed your meals. 

"I can pay you back right now," you said. 

"After we find a seat," the umber-haired man promised and ushered you out from the impatient line. 

It took a fair amount of scouring, but your group eventually managed to find a vacant table. Claiming the empty spot with the speed granted by his hunger, Bokuto had no problem digging right into his fried chicken as soon as he was seated. Too hungry yourself, you refrained from chastising the male and neither did the other second-year. As much as your stomach complained though, the first thing you did after seating yourself was retrieve your wallet. Pulling a bill and a few coins out, you immediately handed the money over to Akaashi. The male sighed and shook his head as he accepted the cash but thanked you with a smile nonetheless. Repayment complete, you returned the gesture before swiftly packing your wallet away and started on your meal. The three of you shared dinner with more conversation and a couple stolen bites around as the afternoon started to wane. Your food and company were both pleasant and time passed without your notice until Akaashi was interrupted by a message from his phone. 

"Ah, I think I have to go." 

"Huh, why?" Bokuto asked as he ate his last piece of karaage. 

"It's Kozume--we're doing a group project in another class and he's asking if I can work with him tonight," the second-year explained. 

"If it's work, it can't be helped," you reassured. "It's starting to get late anyways and I'm pretty rundown from the week." 

"Aw, but I wanted a crepe for dessert and it's no fun going alone," the third-year piped up. 

"Ah, well..." You hesitated as Bokuto started to deflate. You really did like your senior, but his ability to sulk was something you could not handle--his "depressed mode" as Akaashi had once called it. 

"Why don't you two get some from the shop a block over while I head back first? It shouldn't take too long." Bistre irises silently apologised to you as your friend basically asked you take the hit. 

"All right, but we'll head back right after, okay? I really need some good sleep," you bargained. 

"Works for me!" the silver-haired male agreed with renewed energy. Akaashi thanked you with another silent look and you smiled in return. 

Plans decided, the three of you ate the remaining food and quickly cleaned up your meals. After dumping all of your trash in the bins, you and Bokuto said your farewells to Akaashi as he headed for the exit nearest his desired bus stop. Down to only two now, you set off in another direction with your senior. Tired as you were, you managed to enjoy some relaxed conversation with the male and even a small bout of comfortable silence as the two of you walked. Though the hours started to turn late, foot traffic was still rather heavy. Bokuto's build made it a little easier to make way, but you were almost gripping at his sleeves at times in order to not be swept away by the mall's thick crowd. Even when you managed to exit the construct, the sidewalks were filled with a decent amount of pedestrians. 

"Man, Fridays in the city really are something," you commented as you had to press yourself against your friend in order to safely pass through the crowd. 

"You've been here for over a year already though. You're still not used to it?" Bokuto replied before he tugged you by the wrist to keep you from being pushed into the street. 

"As an old senior of mine put it: I'm a country folk," you huffed. 

"I didn't mean it in a bad way!" the third-year quickly amended. "But it's no good to get pushed around in a crowd." Bokuto frowned in worry. 

"It must be easy for you, being so sturdy and all. It's almost like magic how practically everything Bokuto-san eats manages to turn into muscle, no matter how much you scarf down," you countered with a light-hearted pat to the male's arm. Your senior laughed in return and pulled open the glass door to the crepe shop as the two of you arrived. 

"To eat is to live," he sang. "I just don't want to regret not eating delicious things when I have the chance. Like right now!" Saffron irises flicked away from you to gaze in awe at the display that greeted the two of you. There were a few of adults with small children and some couples strewn about the store both waiting for their treats or enjoying them at the offered seatings spread about. With energy that only Bokuto could have at such a time, the male practically leapt towards the high glass wall that separated the working employees and their stations from too curious fingers. The third-year excitedly scanned the large menu board fastened to the back wall, timber wolf locks bouncing slightly with his shifting gaze. 

"Hey hey, you know what you want yet?" Bokuto asked you as soon as he seemed to lock onto his desired treat. 

"I'm still kind of full," you tried to protest, but the smell of warm buttermilk and a hint of sugar tempted you with the promise of sweet satisfaction. 

"We can share?" Goldenrod eyes entreated you, but you could see the hidden motive behind his suggestion. 

"You're a glutton, Bokuto-san, you know that?" Still, you smiled at your senior and approached an open employee with your order. The drooling third-year followed suit and you each paid for your share separately, much to your relief. 

After several minutes passed with discussing menu items and managing the pewter-haired male's salivation, your orders were done and radiated soft warmth in your hands. You watched in near-horror as Bokuto practically inhaled his dessert before rushing back over to order another; your own food was only a couple of bites gone. By the time the two of you were back on the streets and making the leisurely walk to the bus stop for campus, evening had set on the city and twilight coloured the skies. The city crowd had thinned considerably and you walked side by side with ease. Despite the other cone and more prior, your senior had made double the progress on his current crepe compared to your own not even half-eaten one. 

"I'm not sure if I'm more surprised by how much of you've eaten or that you haven't choked and died yet at that speed." 

"Hmruhh?" Bokuto's basic sound was distorted by the huge mouthful he chewed. What you hoped was his last meal for the night was only a single bite from being finished. 

"No, never mind." You decided to drop the topic while you had the chance. As you shook your head in disbelief at your senior's eating ability, said male had already tossed his crepe wrapper and was licking any possible flavoured residue from his fingers. 

"Hey, you're my cute junior y'know," he lilted suddenly. "My absolute favourite of all my juniors!" 

When your head snapped over at the sudden and nearly salacious remarks, saffron irises watched you from under half-hooded eyelids. Bokuto's gaze bordered on heady and the heat that burnt his eyes dark with desire made your skin jump involuntarily. When his sights flicked to follow some part of you when you startled, you realised just what the male was so focused on. 

"Bokuto-san are you--no! You've already had at least half a dozen tonight!" 

"Just one bite, please! You love me, right? Aren't I your super awesome and beloved senior?" Just as quickly as it had dropped, his tone pitched up into a desperate whine as Bokuto clapped his hands together in a plea. 

"You are not eating any of my crepe!" 

The heated rally reached a peak and the pewter-haired male made a forceful swipe for your food. More than ready for such foul play, you stretched your targeted hand out and away from his reach before dashing ahead of your senior. With the most defiant sneer you could muster, you turned back to stare Bokuto straight in the eye and shoved at least a third of the confection into your mouth. Despite the mess of cream and sauce that now littered your lips and streaked your cheeks, you raised your chin to look down upon your senior in triumph. When the taller male caught up with you, his expression was caught between abhorrence at your rejection and amusement at your current appearance. The sight must have been ridiculous, you soon realised, as your cheeks were still bulging with the overload of food and sweet sauce was smeared around. 

"Okay, after that, I can't say I was lying about you being my favourite junior." He grinned as your charades overpowered his disappointment. 

Still working through your full mouth, you dropped your shoulders with a silent sigh and offered the best smile you could muster in such a state. 

"But you really went to town on that crepe, huh? Here, gimme' that napkin," Bokuto instructed as he lightly tugged you to the side of the cement path. 

Once backed up near the edge of a small store building in order to not obstruct others, the male took hold of the tissue wrapped around your remaining dessert and started to swipe at your cheeks. A wince stuck in your throat at the careless handling combined with the soreness from your stuffed jaw. When your senior managed to clean off one side of the mess, you swallowed the last of your mouthful. 

"Ow, ow--I've told you before, Bokuto-san, but you're too rough," you chastised, plucking the napkin from his grip to finish the job yourself. 

"Sorry, sorry," he apologised with a pout. 

"Ah, no wait, I'm sorry. Thanks for helping to clean off that mess," you amended as you wiped away the last of the sauces. The male smiled in return. 

"Well, if you want to thank me..." Bokuto trailed off as his goldenrod gaze flicked its attention to your other hand. 

"Bokuto-san!" you groaned. 

"C'mon!" he whined in return. 

Another reprimand rolled to the tip of your tongue when you noticed the male shift his stance. In the next second, Bokuto made a swipe for your food but you anticipated and evaded the attack. 

"I cannot believe this! They're scraps!" 

"If they're so unimportant, then it shouldn't be a problem for me to have them!" 

Part of you was only being stubborn--you would earnestly admit to that--but the majority of your refusal stemmed from being baffled and somewhat repulsed by your senior's desperation. Earlier, you believed the silver-haired third-year was eating far too much no matter what he argued and simply did not want to literally feed his unhealthy cholesterol levels. Now, his obsession with your meagre leftovers bordered on desperate and frightening. When a rough palm grasped your right-hand wrist that currently held the last bits of your crepe, lightning tore through your nerves as electric emotions screamed across the synapses of your brain in arctic cold fear. Before you could react, Bokuto grabbed your other wrist to prevent escape and used his grip to pull you into the alley space just around the corner of the shop that you stood by. Strength from his years of athleticism slammed your back into the rough wall as the world immediately dimmed within the confines of the urban hole. The loose tar and gravel beneath your soles was uneven and the wall of the building behind you sent prickling shivers down your spine. Compared to the darkness, damp air, and rough scraping though, the single most terrifying sensation was the warm body that pressed against your own and trapped you. 

"Mine!" The claim echoed with a ravenous growl in an octave so low it must have come directly from his stomach. As if disembodied, Bokuto's voice chilled your senses from all directions. 

What you heard, however, was nothing compared to what you felt as the male indulged in his prize. 

The rough texture of sports-worn fingers pressed into your flesh and grated at the very core of your nerves. His skin ghosted over your own as his grip dug into your veins and you could feel the pinprick sensation of stilled blood welling in your hand. There was a caress of thin pancake against your palm as the food shifted. The fine line of the paper wrap skirted your skin just softly enough to avoid splitting the vulnerable layer. Sticky sauce bled past the edible exterior of starch as the remaining contents erupted from the opening up top due to the third-year's frenzied feasting. Then, what came next petrified your stomach before the organ could eject itself. Dry lips razed along your skin as blunt teeth scraped the crepe from your grip until his warm tongue lapped at the remnants of sugar. Bit by bit, he blazed a trail of moist fire that quickly fizzled and smouldered into a blistering burn of icy disgust. The process continued and repeated until the empty paper wrapper slipped onto the gravel below and your hand was clean of all matter of food, but you felt far dirtier than if you had dipped your appendage in a pot of creams directly. 

"More," the male rumbled in a low groan that vibrated uncomfortably close to your ear. 

Warmth spread across your skin as Bokuto's forehead came to rest against your own. He slouched over your form, trying to catch his breath from his earlier feasting. From the public lamps that abandoned you at the edge of the sane world, weak light filtered into the shadows only to be caught in goldenrod irises. Anchored against your will, your senior's gaze was the clearest facet you could make out in the dim and chilling prison. You were not sure where the scream you wanted to rip from your throat died before it could resound as those eyes revealed the truth. It oozed and crawled slowly over the surface of his hues, lethargically sliding from the top down as the sludge engulfed all that was once pure in its path. A thick molasses like poisoned honey, the shade of sickly sugar, thoroughly washed over Bokuto's bright saffron irises until his warmth was lost to toxic caramel. The decadent muck pooled into a heady gaze of desire and starvation and their focus was on you alone. 

"Hey, I'm still hungry." 

An uncharacteristic grumble left your senior as he complained irately. Slurred and slowed into a pitch much lower than usual, the male's voice slinked through your senses and tensed your nerves even further. 

"C'mon, what else are you keeping from me?" 

The ravenous growl vibrated against the skin of your palm as he licked your skin once more in search of any lingering flavour. The sensation caused what felt like burning bile to lodge in your throat as nausea chilled your gut. Air pricked and grated against sensitive flesh as you tried to breathe past all of the sickness. Your head started to throb as it became harder and harder to take in oxygen and an incessant tone began to ring in your ears at a whistle pitch. Soon though, the torture that flooded your senses all came to a screeching halt as your mouth was covered. The obstruction was a bit damp and pressing with such force that you widened your mouth in an attempt to open a gap to breathe through without thinking. 

That was when you realised your mistake as a tongue slipped past the other set of lips to trail a languid stroke along the roof of your mouth, leaving behind an aftertaste of rotten fruit and bitter poison. 

"Heheh, it's still sweet," the male slurred after he pulled away with a pleased grin. Hooded caramel irises leered at you with an intent that had clearly yet to be satisfied. 

"L-Let me go!" you managed to choke out past the volatile terror that numbed your consciousness. 

This was not happening--not again. You were supposed to relax with two of your closest friends like you did nearly every week. It was a long-standing part of your usual life and a period of safety, yet here you were once more; someone you trusted and even cared for was body-jacked and inhumanely abusing and violating you while you were trapped by fear. Why were all of your friends being targeted for this? Why were you being subjected to all of this? 

"Well, if there's nothing else left, I guess I'll just eat you then. You're not as sweet as the cream, but you'll do." He chuckled as if he had uttered a playful joke. The sound was lacquered in sucrose and syrup and his voice rang so grotesquely in your ears that it almost caused you to dry-heave. 

Those pools of noxious honey never broke contact with your own gaze and every passing second made the crawling of the fibres below your skin intensify. When a cool drop of liquid splattered against the rise of your cheek, your bottled-up tension caused you to jump so strongly that your back slammed into the wall with enough force to nearly wind yourself. You were sure you had plenty of fresh scrapes littered near your shoulder blades now, even through your clothes. Another laugh--grating like raw sugar and sea salt--left the male as he enjoyed your discomfort in the same fashion as some pre-meal amusement. You tried your best to glare up at your captor, but many more drops of water had followed the first and the ensuing rainfall made it difficult for you to look anywhere vaguely skywards. Burnt caramel then drifted elsewhere to trail over your body in search of where to begin his feast and you felt sicker with every added moment under his salacious gaze. By the time the monster had come to a decision in his perverse assessment and returned his sight to yours, the weather had intensified to a full downpour. 

"All right," he announced before his tongue poked out to lap at a raindrop near his lips. Without any hesitation the male tugged at the neck of your sweater with such force that the opposite end of the material dug into your flesh hard enough to choke you. Only a moment later, however, the pressure disappeared and was replaced with the sound of the fabric of your turtleneck tearing under his grip. Soon enough, the neckline was crudely widened on one side to the point your entire left shoulder was now exposed. The sudden extra chill caused a shiver to rattle your bones that ended as an anxious prickle in your flesh. Satisfied with his handiwork, the male quickly returned his grip to your arm before letting himself indulge. 

"Time to dig in!" the pewter-haired predator sang. With that short signal, his head dived forward and he clamped onto your shoulder. 

Blunt bone pierced skin and it seared. Blood welled forth and it burnt. Incisors bit into your flesh and you screamed. Though the rainfall drowned out sound, you could feel his gleeful laughter invade and vibrate within the fibres of your own muscles. Acidic needles pierced your already flaming nerves as the possessed male groaned in sick satisfaction. When he released his jaw and pulled away, chill air and cold rainwater both numbed and pricked at the fresh wound. The patter of precipitation muffled the silence and you prayed that the male's contemplative stillness meant that he had found the taste of your flesh unpleasant. Misery and misfortune were all you could rely on, however, as pain soon washed over you in steady waves along with his tongue. Lapping at the gore he had incited with a touch disgustingly warm in contrast to the weather, his gaze thinned to mere slits as he revelled in what could only be the flavour of your flowing blood. 

Why was this happening? Why again? Why did Bokuto get picked among billions and billions to harbour some inexplicable demon? Why was this happening to you of all people? Over and over, just how much did you have to endure? The questions and pleas raced through your mind, fuelled by the excruciating pain, until one thought slammed the brakes on the entire course of your thoughts. 

No, fuck this. 

The questions did not matter. Any explanations meant nothing. Neither sense nor logic could help you now. All that remained were the hard facts of the present and the undeniable pain that you suffered. Your reality was not one you could stop and question; right now, it was do or die and you refused to stand by any longer. 

Spurred by newfound determination, rage, and a touch of apathy for the consequences, you craned your neck as far opposite your captor as possible before slamming the curve of your temple into the male's head. You could feel the impact vibrate in your skull before you heard the screeching tone of a sure to-be headache. At the very least, you were braced for the cranial crash and managed to keep your wits about with gritted teeth while your assailant let out a pained shout. No doubt startled and hurting from your attack, his grip on your limbs loosened and you seized your chance. Infuriated, terrified, and wholly desperate, you struggled with all of your might and thrashed your body about until you managed to slip your right wrist from his grasp. Pins and needles still weighed the limb, but you forced your muscles to move and swung your arm without hesitation. The sensation of the heel of your palm slamming into your captor's cheek was strangely distant from your nerves until a stinging ache suddenly and rapidly bloomed from within your bones. You could feel your carpals creak as your wrist tightened in response to the pain. It hurt, but you refused to relent. You forced yourself past the pain and past the logic of your self-preservation instinct in order to lean all of your weight into the blow and your reward was immediate. Thoroughly disoriented from the initial headbutt, the male had no time to prepare himself and offered little resistance to your attack. His grip on your other arm along with his entire body buckled from the blow and you were free. The silver-haired male let out a choked screech at your assault as he bowed under his own weight. Loosened by the wet weather, the already unsteady ground was as poor a footing as one could get when pretty much punched in the face and your captor retained no grace as he tumbled into the ground. As soon as you steadied yourself from the full-force attack, you dared not dawdle to observe the male's recovery. You slipped a little yourself but managed to navigate the uneven gravel and exited back onto solid ground. Without a care for your appearance or general state, you dashed away from the alley at top speed. People gasped and muffled voices may have called out to you as all of the faces you passed blurred together. Emotions wild, you spared them no mind whatsoever and simply ran in the general direction of away from what you had just escaped. 

As you bolted, you were distinctly aware of a liquid warmth splattered across your palm. 

Your joints may have ached, but the skin of your hand had not split during the attack, which left you with only one other explanation for the heat that razed your touch. Nausea blared a sickening signal through your entire body as you immediately realised what was spread along your palm. Even as the rain quickly washed the physical evidence into the cracks and grooves of the streets, you could still feel its presence in your very prints and pores.


	6. Storm Grey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breaks the eating curse.

A soft tremor started in the lumbar of your spine before it trickled upwards and became a chill in your shoulders, and then you sneezed. The noise was lost in the clamour of students clustered around the lecture hall exit. Another shiver caused you to tremble as your body tried its best to fight off the icy feeling that frosted your flesh. Your throat constricted in the stale air of the crowd and you quickly stuffed your face into the crook of your elbow to stifle the coughing fit that followed. As soon as you managed to weave past the other bodies and shuffled out of the building into fresh air, you inhaled as deeply as your burning lungs allowed. The sensitive lining of your airway seared at your greedy breaths and you beat a fist against your chest a couple of times to clear the renewed coughing fit and rising phlegm. Another sneeze rocked you forward before you sniffled in misery and let out a quiet groan. 

Three days had passed since your latest trauma, but your body had yet to recuperate from the ordeal. After sprinting in panic that night, you found yourself near the other end of the mall grounds and soon realised how cold the rain was in your ruined clothes. Ignoring the glances and murmurs of passing shop patrons, you made your way to the closest public bathroom and changed into your recently bought shirts. The water that chilled your skin soaked the new clothing on contact, but you did not care and tossed your ruined turtleneck into a nearby bin along with the emptied shopping bag. Despite layering two new articles of clothing, you still felt the cold of the downpour. As luck would have it, the next day after having made it home through your nerves, you woke up with a fever. The weekend passed in a blur of drowsiness, a couple sluggish attempts at eating, and falling asleep in the bathroom more than once. When Monday arrived, you could feel the rawness of your throat and the stuffiness in your sinuses, but your headache had mostly subsided so you trudged off to class. After your usual late morning lecture, you were seated along one of the many low-rise walls that lined the campus courtyard. The weather was decent and it was well into the day so plenty of people lounged around nearby or passed you by in a multitude of directions. The chatter and clamour started a small ache in your temples, but you could withstand a slight headache if it meant you could eat your lunch in peace. After so many ambushes, you had learnt to stay within a crowd for safety. Especially at the moment, if another of those abominations managed to isolate you, then you did not even have the ability to scream for help. 

The food in your mouth seemed to turn a little sour as you swallowed both it and your train of thought. 

Another bite of lunch passed over your palate, but you could feel no satisfaction from the meal. Having clearly lost your appetite, you sealed the remainder of your food and let the depths of your school bag swallow it for the time being. A sigh passed your lips though it sounded more like a soft wheeze due to the state of your throat. The prickle and scratch of air over your windpipe slammed the reality of your current situation into you and your shoulders hunched at the rush of thoughts and emotions. Feeling the familiar sting of oncoming tears, you quickly ducked your head to stare at your hands loosely fisted in frustration atop your thighs. Liquid started to well forth and you cursed yourself for no real reason. 

"Is that you, senpai?" 

A sudden call of your name startled you out of your reverie. When you jerked your head up to locate the familiar voice, you spotted a head of orange hair approaching you. Behind the male was another, taller, and recognisable sour face. 

"Whoa, are you okay?" Hinata asked as soon as he stopped in front of you. The first-year knelt down to level with your sitting form. 

"D-Do you need a tissue or...?" Kageyama tried to offer through his awkward stumbling, the dark-haired setter already digging through his bag in concern. 

The sudden appearance of your favourite juniors surprised you and you forgot for a moment that you were clearly about to cry. Jolting when you realised what had the two so worried, you shook your head vigorously and dug your phone out. Thumbs a bit stiff from panic, you fumbled through opening up a new text and wrote out an explanation for the two before shoving the screen in front of them. 

"Huh? You're...not crying?" Hinata mumbled aloud as he read the digital print. "It's just watery eyes because you're sick which is also why you can't talk right now." 

"Should you be at school if you're sick?" Kageyama immediately asked with doubt as he squatted next to his friend in order to also share your eye-level. 

A small smile curled your lips at how concerned they were about you. Though actual tears were indeed brimming at the edges of your vision, you did not want to fluster them any further. Their innocent happiness was what you loved about them most, after all. A soft shake of your head and soundless laugh left you before you typed out a response to placate the two. The taller male still frowned in worry, but the strawberry blond boy gave you a cheerful smile. 

"Always so responsible and adult-like--that's so cool!" Hinata cheered in admiration as he jumped back to a stand in his excitement. 

"You're too loud, dumbass!" Kageyama yelled in reprimand and leapt to his feet, though his voice may have been set at an even higher volume than Hinata's. 

"Huh? You're shouting, too, evil brow!" the toffee-eyed male argued. 

"What the hell does that even mean?" Navy irises glared in retaliation, fiercer than usual. 

"Your brow is always furrowed so your face always looks evil! It's why animals don't like you, Evil-yama!" 

"Dumbass Hinata!" 

The first-years' argument was quickly escalating and you could only tug at their sleeves in hopes of coaxing them into peace. When the two ignored you, irritation bubbled up within you as well. Unable to interject vocally, you opted for the next best thing. After a flurry of taps and clicks of your keyboard, you shoved your body right in between the two boys' shouting match and pushed them apart by their faces. 

"Gwah!" 

"Hrrbf!" 

Conflict at least momentarily ceased, you retracted the hand with your phone and hit the send button next to the message. Within a few seconds, a chime and vibration could be heard from both of your juniors. The two males were still dazed from your intervention and either failed to notice your text or ignored it. Stubbornly, you glared them both down in place before they could resume bickering and resent the message. Your continued glare came with a clear order and the boys shared frightened glances as they called a truce to check their phones. 

"If you keep fighting, I'm going to tell Noyassan about--please not that!" Hinata pitched into an unnaturally high octave at his plea. The strawberry blond was already halfway into prostrating for pardon when you managed to lift him back up. 

"I'm s-sorry," Kageyama weakly apologised. You turned around and almost regretted your threat at how pale the first-year's face was. His grip on his phone was so tense you swore you could hear the metal and plastic creaking. 

With a silent sigh, you texted the terrified pair your forgiveness. You did not expect, however, to receive a reply and your phone almost vibrated out of your hand. 

_Even if you can be scary, you're still the best, senpai!_

The fond message set a soft warmth alight in your chest and you could not help the smile that pulled at your lips. An amused snicker pulled your attention back to find Hinata grinning in satisfaction. Just as you directed a grateful quirk of your mouth at your junior, both of your phones buzzed with another text. 

_Dumbass Hinata, you don't even notice how much of a bran-noser you are, do you?_

The chocolate-eyed boy let out an indignant squawk and glowered at his classmate. Kageyama smirked triumphantly. 

Their phones buzzed once more. 

_Um, Tobio-kun, did you mean "brown-noser"?_

You knew without looking up from your phone that Kageyama looked like he wanted to die while Hinata was choking on restrained laughter. Though faint, you let out a giggle yourself before casting your embarrassed junior a supportive glance. Assured that the two were done fighting, you typed away at a new message. 

_I actually really like this. Can we all keep talking like this? I feel bad making you two wait for me to type just because I lost my voice._

Phones buzzed and, a few moments later, the sound of tapping thumbs was your reply. 

_You don't have to feel bad. If this helps, then I don't mind texting I guess._

_I think a group chat would be fun! This way I can talk to senpai all the time and I guess Kageyama can join in, too. If he can type fast enough, heh._

_Dumbass!!_

Even though it scratched at your throat, you let yourself laugh wholeheartedly at your favourite first-years. The only sound that managed to come from you was a slight rasp, but that did not change the adoration and appreciation that you felt fluttering in your heart. When you managed to regain yourself, the boys were arguing within the chat so you interjected once more. 

_Thank you._

* * *

The room was cut in a precise rectangle with a single door situated in the middle of one of the walls. A small conference table, wheel-footed chairs, whiteboard, TV monitor, and a box of ports surrounded by a mass of cables furnished the space with just about everything students would need in a discussion. Alone, you sat in the silent study room. The clock both attached to the table and on your phone showed that you had been waiting in the reserved space for nearly ten minutes now; basically, the person you were waiting for was ten minutes late and you were still counting. 

_Why am I even here?_

The frown on your lips deepened as you sent the rhetorical text. 

_You seem to like to suffer._

A laugh of incredulous shock left you at your friend's response. As usual, Kenma was short and forthright in his responses. The conversation between the two of you was littered with sentences and even paragraphs from your end, but the brunet rarely wrote past two lines of conversation at each pass. Still, he had the strangest ability to convey so much in only so few words and did not let your digital chatter abruptly die. For that, you were thankful as you sat in complete boredom and solitude. 

_I bet our time slot for the room will run out before Kei-kun even gets here. I'm about ready to just quit with him at this point--he's not even trying! I shouldn't be wasting my time waiting for him._

An irritated huff puffed your cheek outwards and you grumbled low in your vocal chords, your sickness thankfully gone. It was Friday, which meant you were supposed to be tutoring the younger Tsukishima as per Akiteru's request, but the first-year had yet to show up--as usual. You were even somewhat excited at first after having a normal school week free of surprises and scares. After the run-in with Hinata and Kageyama that Monday earlier, your two juniors had been texting you near continuously through the group chat that you had created. Though the messages were noticeably from one male more so than the other, they both made time to always respond to you. The bright and free chit chat lifted your spirits every time and you found yourself feeling much more secure and calm when out of your home. A certain ginger had even passed the situation on to Kenma and now your usual lecture buddy took the time to surprise you with a text each day. The conversations developed so naturally that the two of you were now messaging each other almost any time you were physically apart. 

The realisation of such devotion made your heart leap. 

_He didn't say he wasn't coming, right?_

The air trapped in your cheeks deflated into an irritated sigh when you acquiesced to your friend's logic. If you left now, you would be no better than the constantly ditching first-year that you were so frustrated with. Upset as you were, you resolved your patience and shifted into a comfortable position in your seat. Time passed as you continued conversing with Kenma--a couple snide remarks here, some playful banter there, and you ultimately losing to the male's sharp wit and even more refined tongue. The thread of messages helped you pass time so well that you almost failed to notice the creak of the wood-border, frosted-glass door to your left as someone entered the room. 

"I'm here," the new arrival muttered as he let the pane fall shut behind him. With the entrance being situated at the halfway point of the table head, he immediately swerved left towards the opposite side of the room from you. 

"Ah, good afternoon, Kei-kun!" you greeted with cheer, to both your surprise, and slipped your phone away. The blond only cocked a sceptical brow before he dismissed your ambiance with a shrug. 

"Sure," Tsukishima grunted as he dropped his school bag onto the wooden furniture and then seated himself across the table from you. His posture was sloppy and his body faced away from you in clear dissatisfaction at your presence. 

In only seconds, your good mood soured into prickling irritation at the freshman's disrespect. In comparison to some days when the male refused to even acknowledge you, Tsukishima giving a verbal response was a significant difference. Him brushing you off, however, lit a molten frustration within you unlike the exasperation that his silence caused. The way he would refuse to look at you or speak properly as if you were an object placed there to obey his words felt absolutely humiliating. You were a person and deserved the basic respect of being an existing individual, especially from your tutee and childhood friend. At least, you wished the term "friend" were applicable. Despite the age difference, you were much closer to the elder Tsukishima brother both in current terms and since you could remember. The younger male was familiar in a physical sense, but a stranger to you as an individual. 

"Well, we shouldn't dawdle," you said, straining to maintain civility as the words coasted your acid tongue, "we missed last week and there's still a fair amount for us to review from all the previous weeks as well." 

"It's fine," the blonde cut in. 

"Excuse me?" 

"I've already got all of the old stuff covered. You can just go over this week's topics so you have something to report back," he jabbed at you with a snide squint to his gaze. Your own eyes narrowed in retaliation. 

"I see. It's nice to hear you still maintain contact with your family. I was afraid you had never grown out of being a bitter ingrate," you hissed, the corners of your mouth pulling into a sardonic smile. 

"I'd rather be bitter than trying to cover all of that salty core of a heart in fake sugar." 

"At least I have a heart." 

The first-year paused at your statement. His breath visibly hitched and you could see his clothes pull with his tensed shoulders. What caught your eye, however, was the reflection of his saffron irises behind the lenses of his glasses. Despite the thick panes, you could see his pupils contract with such speed that something clearly snapped inside of him at your statement. Rare emotion burned behind his gaze and even his lips curled at the edge to reveal a canine digging into the fragile skin of his lower lip. Tsukishima shifted in his chair to finally face you in proper, but the context of his adjustment was far from desirable. 

"A heart? You?" he sneered. His hands atop the table clenched into angry fists. 

Screams erupted within your stomach. Warnings and alarms of pure instinct pierced into your diaphragm and halted your breathing before the electrical fear managed to reach the nervous pathways of your brain. 

"You're nothing but a heartless honey trap!" Tsukishima hissed. An entire conference table separated you, yet his voice rang clear and intimate to your ears. 

"Kei-ku-" 

"Don't you dare use my name!" He snapped. "For three whole years you weaselled your way into my home, clinging to my brother with absolutely no shame. Then, just when I thought I was rid of you after a year of sanctity, you couldn't let me have a peaceful life and sunk your desperate claws into the other club members--those two idiots especially! Even now, you've surrounded yourself with thirsty morons who can't see past your nauseating coy act. I can't believe how blind they all are to your disgusting ploys. Is it fun, huh? Playing the damsel and wrapping all of those imbeciles around your sneaky little fingers?" 

Haze whirled within your brain as Tsukishima's accusations struck you one after another. Your relationship was hardly the greatest, but you had never thought what haunted him was something of this magnitude. The sadness of the revelation, however, was diluted by your overwhelming confusion and fear. The neurotic alarms of your instincts continued to blare throughout your body and your feet itched to bolt for the door, but the male's livid glare pinned you in your seat. 

"Do you have any idea how sickening it was to watch nearly every day? To have everyone else keep pestering me about you? You're nothing but a persistent disease in my life," he seethed. 

Despite his deepening animosity and growing volatility, the first-year did not make a physical move. His tone alone blared resentment that lacquered his words in frustrated hate. Though he had yet to even come within arm's reach of you, your stomach tried to heave as if punched and your breathing choked from the collar of Tsukishima's absolute rejection. Light began to waver and fuzz and you realised tears had welled into your sight. Shapes and colours melded into an incoherent mess and when you blinked the first few drops clear of your gaze, you only prayed that the anguished liquid was still altering vision. The cadmium tint of the lighting no longer matched the proud brass that Tsukishima always viewed the world with. Rolling and lapping as it rose over his hues like the sandy shores that they matched, the shade of hopeless depression steadily swelled forth. The sudden invader was cold and empty like mist, chilling you not with ice but a sense of nothingness. That gaze reflected an apathy that would not budge even within the sea storms that shared its hue. 

"Do you even realise what you've done to me?" the male questioned with emotionally slurred enunciation. 

"I didn't do anything!" you shouted back in a desperate counter. Shortness of breath blurred your senses and control of your nerves was fuzzy at best. Even when you squeezed your eyes shut in one last effort to break free from the spells of uncertainty and guilt that trapped you, the male's corrupted gaze was already burnt into the back of your eyelids. 

"I just don't care anymore," he continued, regardless of your struggles. "Why should I? Effort doesn't gain you anything--much less honesty. In a way, I should thank you for showing me the truth of this desolate world before I got my hopes up. If I could bat my eyelashes and flash a pretty smile, life would go my way any and every time, wouldn't it? Why don't you share with me just how much you'll degrade yourself to please those dogs you keep around you, huh? Surrounding yourself with guys because they'll do anything for just a bit of your attention." 

The scorn continued to bombard you with every breath he spoke. His baseless accusations twisted your average reality into a shameless scam centred about selfish benefits. Arguments and defences sparked along your tongue and seethed within your throat, loaded and fuelled by your dignity and integrity. It was those same values, however, that froze your voice. No matter how minuscule it was, his slander picked into a layer of truth hidden somewhere far and deep beneath your efforts and affection. Despite your empathy and devotion, you knew that those hours and moments spent caring for others would always come back around to shield your own self when you needed it. You were only a single person and so you needed others you could rely on. It may have been the influence of growing up next to the Tsukishima household, but you found that the boys around you were just that much easier to form beneficial friendships with in both studying and daily life. 

"You do realise that I knew all of them long before you did, right? I know those little puppets of yours and the games you like to play. All of it." The way his voice dropped to a threatening murmur pressed poisonous thorns into your lungs. "You would have had to been blind to not notice Kuroo-san's feelings for you--hell, he would constantly make a point of it. And yet, you never acknowledged him and let the sap continue to shower you in doting adoration and care. Just how much money and time must he have spent, only for you to completely ignore him otherwise? You're nothing but a two-faced leech." 

In some demented way, the more twisted and harsh his words became, his speech was proportionally more casual and lackadaisical. It was as if all of the guilt he was laying out to bare was nothing more than conversational cliches. 

"Let's not forget Shrimp Dumbass and His Royal Idiocy. I can't believe just how much those two look up to you and think you actually care about them! The truth is--and you know it--that you only help them to make yourself feel better. To have an excuse for the moments you miraculously remember your selfish whoring out. You don't give two shits about either of those gullible idiots other than what a great senior they make you feel like," he goaded. 

Quivering, your arms began to feebly rise in response to your desire to cover your ears. Your body was already halfway curled in as you tried to defend against his verbal artillery. 

"Oh, but where do I even start with my older brother?" 

Those words froze you in place, palms hovering over your temples and body bowed. You had long since lost sight of those moonstone irises, replaced by the oak table, but you could not escape the blame that his gaze seared into your skin. 

"Just how many years now have you been stringing him along? Starting with the ultimate trope of tutoring to infect his daily life all while playing the perfect girl next door. It was purely nauseating hearing you blatantly flirt with him every minute and him even playing along! To think, as far back as middle school, you were already tramping around and using a boy to set up a fallback plan. You can always rely on him, can't you? He never says no to you--he'll never say no to you as long as you have your little guilt card to play," he growled out the last of his sentence with a weighted meaning and you knew all to well what was about to come. 

"That--it was one time! On accident! I would never do something like that on purpose!" you ended up whimpering by the end of your pre-emptive denial. 

"He would never want to disappoint you--not after shattering my dreams. You're his precious second chance to be the big brother he always wanted to be and you have no regrets choking him with that collar for your own gain." 

A hammer of grief smashed the shield of your ribcage and the caustic shrapnel caused your will to bleed from your body. The air turned toxic to your struggling lungs as guilt infected your heart. 

"I never meant to hurt him or you! I didn't know about any of it," you tried to scream, but the excuses rotted in your throat into nothing more than hoarse pleas. 

"He'll drop anything and everything just to be your personal hero." 

Desperation and denial saturated your tongue, but the acidic tang of contrition rusted your voice. Emotions twisted your flesh and rattled your bones, yet your fervour drowned in the wake of insipid grey and cruel conviction. 

"Kei-kun...!" 

"Even me." 

The scream that tore through your vocal chords never reached his ears. Though the shame ripped into your flesh and regret scorched your nerves, not a single sound escaped from your throat. Tears fled as quickly as they pooled past your lashes, but you screwed your eyes shut and vainly pressed the heels of your hands into your ears to escape any further torment. Salvation, however, had long since forsaken you and not a syllable more needed to leave the first-year's poisoned lips. He had sparked the fire and all he had to do now was watch you succumb to the blaze. Refusal and excuses--anything to prove your crimes false--swarmed through your thoughts, but the resistance only served as fodder for your sentence. The heat of shame licked at your skin and anguish drained your strength. You could always return a punch, but your crimes were eternal. 

Just as sacrilege began to scar your soul, thin metal rang as the clock attached to the table set off an alarm. 

"Huh, what's this? The reservation is up already?" the male grumbled as he clicked the silencer on the timepiece. 

Irrelevant, minuscule, and sudden as it was, the distraction was all you needed to snap back to reality. Fuelled by fury and denial, you shot a leg out under the table and revelled in the backlash of the expected impact. The first-year shouted in mixed surprise and pain as your foot slammed into his shin with your full might of the moment and, this time, remorse was not a concern you bothered yourself with. While the blond was disoriented from your attack, you wasted no time on uncertainty and grabbed your bag as you bolted for the door. With your escape route being halfway between your seat and the male's, the smallest amount of delay on his end ensured that he would be unable to catch you. Unsure which screamed louder, your emotions or your muscles, you wrenched the door open and sprinted without hesitation. An enraged holler followed you, but running was your only concern. Whether you ran from danger or your guilt, however, even you were not sure.


	7. Rose Purple

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter I really enjoyed. Almost done!

Blood roared in your ears as heat flared beneath your skin. Each impact of your rapid footfalls thrummed through your bones and up your legs. It felt as if the cold air flayed your skin and carbon dioxide poisoned your lungs as it accumulated, unable to switch with the paltry oxygen that you inhaled in your panicked sprint. Shades of amber and camellia mixed with asphalt and cement flashed past your vision in a muddle of speed and blurry tears. The world was lost to your senses as objects became mere swatches of colour while you ran. Your skin numbed under moving air, pumping blood drowned sounds into indiscernible hums, and the onset of anxious bile even managed to pollute your throat and sinuses. The weight of your schoolbag dragged at your body, but you continued to flee without direction as long as you could put distance between yourself and what was once your tutee. 

Air seared your lungs with every breath as toxic gas weighed in your chest, but nothing compared to the burn of the acid that leaked and strained between the fibres of your muscles. The pain of exertion slowed your legs until, without realising it, you stopped in your mad dash and barely had the strength left to stand as you panted for relief from the lactic poison. Seconds and then minutes passed you by, but time was irrelevant as your mind struggled to maintain lucidity amongst the stress of physical fatigue and emotional exhaustion. When you finally managed to focus your gaze enough to take in your surroundings, the sun had long since dipped far behind the horizon. Slivers of garnet and coral mixed into the cloud-spotted evening sky. Be it your current state or the unhelpful lighting, you found yourself unable to recognise a single building nor path in your view. The panic that was just beginning to settle erupted in a flurry of anxiety and nausea as you doubled over into a feeble crouch. Tears that you thought had long since run dry sprung forth and the salt pricked at the sensitive skin under your lashes. Your tongue felt shrivelled from dehydration yet so swollen from distress that it blocked your throat. A single pitiful mewl managed to escape your vocal chords as you struggled to breathe. Desperate veins roared with blood in your skull and splotches of dizziness started to bloom in your vision. 

"Listen to me!" 

Like a razor shard of ice, the perfectly enunciated words cut a sliver a clarity in the veil of your panic. 

"Breathe! Just breathe, okay? I've got you and everything is going to be fine. Focus on me and what I'm saying, all right?" 

The voice continued to soothe you as the warm touch of another person slowly eased your hands away from your temples and into a soft grip. The distinctly masculine timbre held a comforting familiarity as you screwed your eyes shut against your raging senses. Just a fraction, you managed to push your focus towards the male's instructions. 

"Count with me; I'm going to count to three slowly and then you'll try to open your eyes. If you can't, then I'll just keep counting and we'll go on for as long as you want." 

Calloused hands squeezed your own for a second before warm thumbs began to rub slow circles along your wrists. Your frenzied thoughts obscured the identity of your therapist within your memory, but you recognised the steady rhythm to his pristine speech. Even as your jittery thoughts noted the panicked undertone in his pitch, the man spoke at a fluid and controlled tempo. When he called your name with a pleading edge and an affectionate tremble, you shakily sucked in air for two seconds, held it in your lungs for one, and exhaled through your mouth over three. Your lips pressed together in an attempt to hide their trembling and your companion's grip tightened for a second before you heard him let out his own shallow breath. 

"One." 

You inhaled through your nose despite the tired burn and trembling of your body. The male's soft count echoed and replayed in your mind in time with the soothing patterns he traced along the backs of your hands. 

"Two." 

Slowly, you let his voice drift through your thoughts and clear your head of everything save the peace that he offered you. The soft timbre of his speech ran chills down your spine in contrast to his warm touch. 

"Three." 

His eloquent enunciation plucked at strings connected to memories buried under the stress, but the tune that played resonated with sweet sugar on your tongue and soft sunshine on your skin. The trail of recognition in your mind was paved with fluttering warmth in your heart and joyous laughter in your stomach. At the end of the fragmented path you found a smile that glowed with the fleeting beauty of the stars. 

That same smile greeted you with your name leaving his lips. 

"Are you feeling a bit better now?" 

Framed by the rosette glow of the setting sun, Akaashi's expression held an ethereal warmth akin to a miracle. In that moment, as his presence eased your flurry of emotions into relative peace, you never felt so inclined to truly think of the male as your personal blessing. Focusing on your gratitude and the comfort of his affectionate grip, you managed to nod your head as you sniffled your slowing tears away. Your friend offered a pat on the head for your efforts and helped you back to your feet. Though he returned free use of your hands, Akaashi kept a gentle grip on one of your shoulders as you still seemed unsteady on your feet. You eventually eased out of his support with a grateful smile and worked on wiping away the last of your tears. Once assured that you were okay, the male pulled out his phone and was on a call in seconds. 

"Hey, I found her. She was freaked out but otherwise seems okay. Yeah. Don't worry about it--I'm glad we happened to be around." 

Akaashi glanced over at you and smiled again before now addressing you, "It's Kozume. We were working on a project when we saw you sprinting across campus and got worried. Do you want to talk to him?" 

Exhaustion and thirst weighed your tongue into a useless lump and you only replied with a soft shake of your head. Your friend took note of your state and returned to his phone. 

"Mm, sorry. It should be expected, but she's tired. We're near my place so she can stay with me until she feels better. It's not a problem at all, otherwise I wouldn't have run all around campus to begin with." Akaashi let out a soft chuckle and bid the other end farewell. Business settled, the male slipped his phone away before returning tektite irises your way. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make the decision on my own, but I'm too worried to leave you alone. Are you okay with spending the night at my apartment?" Your friend offered an apologetic frown, but you waved it off. 

"It's okay," you rasped out despite the heaviness of your tongue. 

"All right, hand me your bag and let's get going then. You need a drink before you start spitting sand when you talk," Akaashi teased as he grabbed your schoolbag from you. In spite of the remaining ache and dread in your muscles, you smiled in return. 

* * *

The soft hum of speakers echoed amidst a pleasant fog that diluted your senses. An occasional click and scratch would chime in your muted sanctuary and the sounds slowly piqued your interest. The white noise repeated in a steady beat; several notes of soft scrapes before a series of light taps and a click and then the instrument returned to the scratching. As your focus sharpened and the glow of lowlight registered itself through your closed eyelids, you also picked up on the muted tunes of an orchestral performance. Body heavy but mind now active, you nuzzled your face into the plush pillow supporting your head and heaved a sigh. The fabric smelt faintly of fresh firewood and thyme. 

Just as you were allowing the scent to wake the last recesses of your thoughts, you noticed the comforting rhythm of taps and scratches stopped. Plastic creaked before someone called your name. Their voice was barely louder than the background music, but their words rang clear and precise to your ears. You tried to reply to their query, only for your lips to push out a string of unintelligible hums and grunts. 

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Plastic groaned once more before soft footfalls padded your way. Clothes rustled as they knelt over you and a warm hand brushed your crown. 

"S'okay," you slurred in response. A yawn cut off the rest of your reply as you stretched your sluggish body underneath the comfortable throw you were nestled into. 

Akaashi chuckled at your actions and you finally managed to regain your sight, bleary as it was after sleeping. Seeing as you were now awake, the soft touch on your hair changed into a playful ruffle and you squeaked in surprise. 

"You should get up and eat something. It's almost noon, sleepyhead." Your friend flashed you an amused smirk before another thought crossed his mind. "Oh, also, you better check your phone. Hinata has been messaging you all morning." 

A groan rumbled in your throat at the news. 

"I swear, if I don't reply within twenty seconds that boy thinks I've been spirited away or something." 

"He is a big brother, after all," Akaashi quipped. 

"Even though he's younger than me?" you returned with a dramatic roll of your eyes. 

The umber-haired male sighed, but offered a smile as you pulled yourself out from beneath the blanket. You beamed back at your friend. Satisfied, Akaashi stood up and moved back over to his study desk. He clicked off the miniature speaker system playing the orchestral soundtrack and flipped a heavy textbook closed. 

"Anything you feel like having?" Bistre eyes glanced in your direction and you noted how they took in the room's light just so to glow with picture perfect luminescence. 

"Maybe something not too heavy," you replied with a sleepy murmur coating your tongue. An unceremonious yawn followed as you sat on the edge of the bed. 

The sophomore hummed in acknowledgement before exiting the room. The muted patter of his gait soon faded from recognition as the male left you in privacy to get ready for the day. Away from attentive eyes, however, there was little you could do as you sat frozen on the edge of the mattress. Empty acid and noxious anxiety bubbled in your stomach and the cold that nettled your skin was certainly not from leaving the bed covers. Past your wit and beneath your smiles, you were branded by a relentless trauma and Akaashi knew it. He had given you his own bed for three nights already and did not mention the multiple classes you slept through that morning. Your friend apologised for disturbing you, but waking to see a friendly face was a gift when all that awaited you in unconsciousness was paranoia and the memories of demons. Akaashi was giving up so much to help you and yet you sat frozen by chills on his own bed that you stole from him. The male had even gone as far as to retrieve all sorts of daily necessities and clothes from your own apartment. As sluggish as you felt from the lack of sleep, the circles forming under the male's eyes testified to the effect your nightmares were having on him as well. 

Your nightly unrest needed to be remedied—and soon—if you were mistaking the refracted light in his taupe hues for glaring amethyst. 

* * *

"This is both horrific yet absolutely hilarious." 

"I still feel like a darker interpretation would have been better." 

"Well, I guess I understand what you mean," you acquiesced and pouted for a moment at your companion's damper. "I even cried when I read the original series, but I feel like this version captures that uncomfortable humour that the story always had, y'know? I mean, a baby that can cook before she can talk?" 

"Hmm, you do have a point," Akashi took his turn to mumble in reply before turning the volume up just the slightest. "I still would have preferred a different sort of adaption. Also, the so-called lead actor is terrible." 

"I won't disagree with you there," you managed to respond despite muffling your lips with the blanket currently draped around your huddled form. Your chin fell to perch on your knees, curled up against your chest. 

Beside you on the couch, Akaashi was seated in a similarly comfortable fashion with a leg up and foot perched on his other knee. In the spacious loop of his bent limb sat a bowl of popcorn already at a sparse population. Every so often either of you would dip a hand in and retrieve a snack, gazes not leaving the relatively new series that the two of you decided to marathon earlier in the week. While the show provided due entertainment, the comfortable chatter and banter the two of you would share between and even over scenes was the true substance of the activity. The complete casualness of watching a debatably more than mediocre but less than decent online streaming series was comforting. It was something normal and you were starved for the simplicity of it. The part that truly managed to—slowly but assuredly—patch the scrapes and scars that littered your whole being was Akaashi's presence in establishing your newfound nightly activity. In the face of bachelor university life, he sat on the couch with you at odd hours of the evening poisoning his athleticism with snacks that were processed far too many times over. 

All of it done without you having to request it of him. 

When Akaashi paused from his snacking to let out a stifled yawn, you felt your stomach lurch in guilt. Your friend had morning classes the next day and yet here the two of you were. 

"Maybe...we should call it a night," you spoke up past your conflicted tongue. Sleep was still not the easiest thing for you and you would rather have kept the marathon going until you passed out, but you had to think of Akaashi. 

"You tired?" the umber-haired boy asked and your heart weighed at the sincere inquiry. 

"N-No, but you have classes," you replied. With how previous nights had passed, however, it was the same as a silent confession of your lack of desire for shut-eye. 

"I guess it's for the best," he acquiesced after a moment. "You go ahead and tuck in; I'll clean up." 

"I can take the couch, seriously." A heavy frown accompanied your words. As tempting as Akaashi's bed proved to be, you were far from okay forcing your friend to sleep on less comfortable terms. 

"You'll end up rolling off it in the middle of the night and then it'll be even more trouble for the both of us," the tektite-eyed male countered. Though a teasing smirk curled his lips, it was true that you were still suffering from frequent nightmares over your traumatic encounters. 

"Going to sleep feeling guilty over taking your bed isn't much better," you tried to argue and Akaashi sighed. 

"Then how about we share the bed?" 

You choked on your saliva. 

Harsh coughs wracked your frame, but between the fits you could hear your friend's laughter. By the time your condition subsided, the charcoal-haired sophomore had also calmed down into a controlled snicker. 

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to be caught so off guard. It was cute." Akaashi let one more chuckle slip and you could feel your ears starting to burn. 

"I-I'll just take the bed again, okay?" you relented. 

"That's good, although I wasn't joking just so you know. If you really do feel bad we can just share." The male flashed you a teasing smirk and you glared in return. 

"Stop being mean," you huffed. 

"But you're cute," he retaliated. 

Stuck between exasperated and flustered, you chucked a couch pillow at the male's shoulder to avoid the popcorn bowl. Akaashi smiled at your antics and reached for the remote. As the screen flashed from vibrant colours to dull black, the light that bounced back from bistre irises seemed to glow an eerie violet. 

* * *

Despite the mid-spring warmth that seeped past the front door, a chill crept under your skin and your shoulders were tensed defensively. You were dressed to leave the apartment for once, but it seemed you were the only one who felt you were ready to finally do so. Akaashi stood across from you down the entryway with a scowl on his lips and a worried furrow to his brow. While you stood at the concrete doorstep, your friend remained on the wooden floor elevated just the slightest over the entrance. After the previous night's events, you had steeled yourself to finally get back on your own two feet. At least, you tried to until your friend had voiced his concerns. 

"You clearly still didn't sleep okay last night. You should wait until you're rested enough," Akaashi tried to reason with you once more. Denial weighed on your tongue, but the shadows under both your eyes and the male's were proof enough. 

"We'll both be able to rest properly if I go back to my place," you offered, but your tektite-eyed friend's frown deepened. 

"Fears multiply on one's own. You won't even tell me what started in this in the first place so there's no way I can feel okay letting you off by yourself," he argued back in an even tone. 

"I told you it's fine!" you could not help but snap back. "Sorry. I mean, you've already done so much for me and that's more than enough. I'm really thankful, but I can't keep trying to use you as a crutch, Akaashi-kun," you pleaded with your friend despite dodging his logic. You did not want to simply hide away from everything that had happened to you. Whether you could solve the strange things happening around you or not, getting back on your own two feet was necessary for getting your normal life back. 

"Has it not been enough?" the wenge-haired sophomore spoke so softly you were not sure you heard him correctly at first. 

"You've...done plenty for me. I need to start helping myself," you answered, a bit confused at the question. 

Instead of continuing the discussion, Akaashi took a step towards you. When you held your ground, the male took that as a sign to continue and approached you until he dropped onto the concrete entrance and could suddenly wrap you in an embrace. Stuttered syllables left you in shock as your friend buried his face into the crook of your neck. Between your surprise and Akaashi's arms locking down your own, you could only stand there and eventually crane your wrist to pat his back in an awkward return. 

"You should just stay with me," the male mumbled against your skin. 

"Huh?" You were both unsure what he meant and whether you had heard him correctly. To clarify himself, Akaashi removed himself from your shoulder and levelled his gaze with your own. 

"Stay with me." 

The first emotion to hit you was confusion at the male's words. The second emotion was shock upon interpreting his proposal in the only way you possibly could. The third emotion to override your mind was dread as you continued to lock eye contact with Akaashi. It started as a tiny bud barely visible around his pupil, but the rich hue soon spread from the centre in portions like petals. The almost rosy shade bloomed far too beautifully for the horrors it signified. The colour was deeper than amethysts and more vibrant than flora as it enveloped and devoured the male's kind bistre irises. 

Rejection passed your lips before you could even think. Your body felt so stiff, you would not have been able to move even if the male had not locked you down in his grip. You mentally cursed your stupidity for letting this happen. 

"Why?" he snarled. "Just what have I been doing wrong that you want to leave so desperately?!" Floral hues caught the overhead lighting with the viscosity of sludge and your insides turned. The male's demeanour took a turn for a worse at your reflexive reaction. He released you from his suffocating embrace only to wrench your arms in each of his hands, the pressure of his grip easily cutting off the blood flow. 

"If you just stayed with me everything would be perfect. I'll take care of you and you won't have to be scared anymore," he pleaded in a sudden turn from his previous anger. "Just be all mine and no one else's. Here with me always and safe." 

A warm forehead came to rest against your own and you reeled back at the contact only to slam your head into the door behind you. A displeased frown flashed in front of you before the pleading amethyst eyes and out of place pout returned to encompassing your vision. Whatever godforsaken entity had ensnared you this time continued to mumble sweet nothings and ludicrous promises enshrouding a life of imprisonment. Chills ran down your spine while bile crept up your throat. 

This was fucking insane. 

"I-I want to leave, please," you tried to reason with what little comprehension may have still resided within the sophomore. Your hopes were dashed, however, when the grips on your arms tightened to an even more painful degree than before. 

"You can't leave me!" he growled in your face and you failed to bite back a whimper. 

"Sssshhh, don't be scared. I'm not like the others, okay? I won't hurt you—I'd never," the male crooned as you flinched away from him. Sadness seemed to crease his brow at your reaction. 

"Everything will be okay, I promise. You won't have to worry or do anything anymore since I'll always be right here for you." His grasp around your form loosened enough to grant you the slightest personal space and you sighed in relief. His hands kept you locked down with a firm grip on your arms, though. Aster irises continued to bore their gaze into your own, however, and the creeping under your skin was relentless. 

"If we just talk this over I'm sure you'll understand. We can chat over a proper breakfast since I'm sure you haven't eaten." A disapproving frown flashed across his face at your bad habits, but it was quickly replaced with an almost endearing smile. The sickly sweet curve was completely out of place on your friend's face and you swallowed the bile that rose in reply to his unnatural expression. 

The swelteringly warm hands around your arms tugged your forwards as he took a step back and you had no choice but to follow. Slowly, his feet would move a single pace in reverse and force your feet to keep up and move along in tandem. At a snail's pace, the charcoal-haired male pulled you with him even at the abysmal speed of your baby steps. The balls of his feet slid to reposition where his heel was and, with astonishing patience, allowed you to continue at your own pace. It certainly took far too many steps before the two of you had finally manoeuvred over the small concrete landing and finally reached the rise of the wooden floor hall. 

When you felt the male pause to lift a leg and ascend onto the hallway floor, you struck. 

With all the force you could muster at a standstill, you slammed your foot into his standing shin with your best kick. The blow combined with his imbalance proved to be enough as a pained shout rang and the male's body toppled backwards at your assault. You managed to wrestle out of his loosened grasp before he could take you down with him and wasted no time. As soon as you regained your bearings, you pivoted on your heel and reached for the door. The crack of a body colliding with the floor drowned out the bolt of the lock coming undone. Winded coughing blocked the churning of gears as you twisted the metal handle. Pained wheezing swallowed whatever words and pleas were meant for your ears as you sprinted out the open door without a single glance back.


	8. Royal Blue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So at some point I took a long hiatus with this story and this is where I restarted. It probably shows with how I blasted through this chapter and kind of the next one, but hopefully it's still okay.

Chatter rang all around you as miscellaneous conversation paraded through the air. The occasional murmur caught your ear as students glanced at your jittery form, dodging people with the utmost revulsion for physical contact. Even so, you felt far safer among the masses than by yourself. After bolting from Akaashi's apartment and whatever being you had left behind this time, you headed for the nearest populated area, that being the school grounds. It was the lunch hour so there were plenty of people around and you soon found yourself a spot on a metal bench to catch your breath. The throngs of crowds helped you calm down as at least a bit of security returned to you. Despite the warmth of the spring sun, you had to curl in on yourself to fight off an incessant chill under your skin. No matter what source of heat you could have though, you knew the cold of fear would not leave you so easily. Frost lined your flesh as you reached into your jacket pocket for your phone and your fingers trembled over the device as you opened a familiar chat. 

_Okay then! I heard from Kenma you weren't well so I just wanted to check up on you and all. Hope you feel better soon!_

Your lips quirked as you reread your junior's last message. Warmth began to alight in your chest as you scrolled further up and recalled previous conversations with the two boys you shared your texts with. The heat of the sun may not have been able to drive off the chill of despair, but you did not need the sun when you still had friends you could trust. Able to move your fingers with a little more ease now, your digits hovered over the keys as you debated what to talk about with Kageyama and Hinata this time—anything to steady the rapid pace of your heart. 

Just as you were about to hit the first input, someone took a seat next to you on the bench and your entire being froze. Adrenaline screamed in your veins at the presence of another person so close by. No, it was not just their physical distance that wrenched such a reaction from you. Your instincts erupted in a frenzy of fear. The material of your phone creaked in your grip and the device started to dig into your flesh as your terrified grip refused to loosen. Without a single glance at the stranger, you shifted to stand and leave. 

"Don't be a coward," the baritone voice stopped you before you could lift yourself from your seat. Their voice was deeper than any that belonged to your friends, but his timbre was smooth and almost pleasing to the ears. 

Acid lurched and rolled in your stomach. 

"Wh-What do you want?" you choked out, fear far too potent to curse the stutter of your tongue. Your gaze never turned in the stranger's direction. 

"Hmph, you can still talk back. At least you're not a complete broken mess," he needlessly mocked you. You gritted your teeth as the male continued, "I want out of this stupid charade." 

"Out?" you parroted in confusion. 

"I refuse to be a mindless puppet in this farce and terrorise a nobody like you as someone else's dirty work," he scoffed, but one part of his complaint in particular caught your attention. 

"Someone's dirty work? There's someone behind all of this?" you almost shouted the question and, in your shock, turned to face the stranger on reflex. 

The first thing to register was he was tall. The male was well built and, if he had chosen to attack you like so many before, you highly doubted you could have gotten away like with the others. Olive hair was neatly parted and framed his face bringing you to meet lukewarm toffee irises. At least, his eyes were such a hue for a moment before threads of colour began to stretch across his gaze. With a silken tone deeper than sapphires, the strings slithered in from the edges of the male's irises to eventually meet and overlap in a crosshatching manner until the metallic gold of his eyes was swallowed in a blanket of royal threads. A shiver wracked your body at witnessing the unnerving transformation, but the male never made a move towards you and only stared down at you with the slightest of sneers marring his otherwise impassive expression. 

"Such a pathetic creature," he muttered and you barely held back a wince at the insult. 

"You said that there was someone behind all of this, didn't you?" Your voice cracked as you spoke, but you did not have luxury to compose yourself before speaking to the intimidating café-haired male. 

An annoyed sigh passed his lips before he answered, "There is and you need to find them so I don't have to be dragged along in this ridiculous game anymore." 

"...Who is it?" you asked after a moment's paused, saliva thick in the back of your throat yet your tongue felt shrivelled. 

"Face your Karma. They're the entire reason you're in this whole mess." 

"My...what?" 

"Think with that scrap of a brain for once. Just who put you between all of those people to begin with? Someone was manipulating you and those around you in order to isolate you with someone. All I can tell you is to think of who has been beside you since the beginning and the reason you even knew the others who got involved and possessed," the male ended his explanation with a frustrated grunt. Something seemed to hold back his tongue from divulging what you really needed to know, but he had said more than enough. 

"And this person is my 'Karma'? The one behind everything?" you pushed for more information. The male clicked his tongue as imperial irises glared down at you. 

"Don't be so incapable and figure it out. I'm tired of this farce," he growled without providing an answer. 

Before you could desperately prod the olive-haired male for a proper answer, he stood from his seat. His abrupt movement knocked you back a little and you sucked in a sharp breath as your elbow collided with the armrest. Although it was only a moment, you were distracted by the soreness and diverted your attention from the man to check on your injured joint. By the time you tried to turn back to the male and try to pry more out of him, you had lost him to the sea of bodies moving before you. A frustrated curse ripped from your throat and caught a couple odd stares, but you paid it no mind. 

"Someone involved with all the incidents," you repeated yourself in a mutter as you absently nursed your elbow. 

The last three weeks going all the way back to when you were first attacked by a possessed Kuroo replayed in your mind. You mulled over each encounter and what had led to your isolation with each person. How did you meet most of your friends anyways? The thoughts rolled and tossed amidst your frantic mind as you tried to sort out the information. Soon, however, everything was becoming a mental mess and you needed to physically note down all of your memories. Lacking a pen and paper, you opted to pull out your phone and use anything you could write with on the device. When you lit the home screen up though, a new message greeted you from someone that had texted while you were talking to the stranger. You read the name that headed the text on reflex and you froze. It all clicked into place as you replayed all your memories from over the past three weeks and parsed out everything related to the sender. Even further back to the beginning of your time at the university. It all made sense when you singled that person out. 

"No," you gasped under your breath and stared at your phone screen in shock. Still, no matter how your heart denied it, in the end, the piece fit the puzzle. A hundred questions of why and how buzzed through your head. You could not believe it. 

You did not want to believe it. 

Yet, no other possibility seemed to exist as you continually ran over the events of the past weeks and how you met your friends. It was a complete nightmare and you could feel tears welling up from the shock and betrayal. You did not care that you were now crying in public—you were far past caring about much at that moment. You needed to know the truth and there was only one thing you could do. After wiping your vision as clear as you could, you tried to control your sniffles as you opened your contacts. Finding the name that you both desired and did not, you tapped into their page. The registered phone number glowed on the screen in mockingly bright LED, and you felt a sudden burst of anger. If this person really was the one responsible for everything you had suffered, how dare they? How could they do this to you? Why did they do it? Why you? The questions continued to run rampant in your thoughts, but there was only one way to ascertain the answers you wanted. 

With a determined tap, you called the number.


	9. Pure Silver

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end! Thank you to everyone who read this story and I hope it was worth your time!

"Hey, are you free for me to drop by?" 

"Sure. I'll leave the door unlocked." 

With those words, you tapped to end the call without a farewell—not that the other side of the line would mind. Your destination was the other side of the campus at one of the local apartment buildings where a lot of students stayed. It was similar to your own home, just near a different area of the school grounds. The distance could be crossed in mere minutes, yet your legs were sluggish and refused to move your body from the bench you still sat upon. The hand that held aloft your phone felt as if it were holding a brick of lead instead of the lightweight device. A shaky sigh left you as your conclusion of who the mastermind behind everything was ran through your mind once more. The more you tried to find a reason to deny that person would doing such a thing, the more evidence you seemed to realise pointed right at them. They were the very first friendly face you had found on the campus on your first day at the university. Alone and in an unfamiliar place, you had been so relieved to recognise them that you stuck close the whole orientation. It was a surprise to be in the same seminar to begin with, but you had been grateful. Your gratitude continued for nearly two years as you stuck around each other. Relying upon one another and growing together, he had become an important fixture in your life and so dear to you that your heart had begun to race in his presence. You treasured your moments together. That was how you felt, but now you wondered just how much of your interaction with your friend had been genuine. Had your entire relationship been a ploy to set up this debacle? The thought made hot tears threaten the edges of your vision once more. Remaining frozen in place, however, would do nothing to solve your problems so you took a deep breath and heaved yourself to a stand. Your feet were far too heavy, but you pushed your legs to carry their weight and moved forward. The mere minutes it took to cross the campus felt like hours as your thoughts remained a frenzied mess. You had been told to 'confront you Karma', but just what did that even mean? As much as you mulled over it, nothing concrete came to mind. You only prayed the confrontation did not involve a physical aspect. Your own hands had battered your friends far too many times already and you did not think you could take any more of the guilt and strain. A flurry of thoughts stormed within your mind and, before you knew it, you found yourself facing an oak wood door. 

A shaky breath passed your dry lips as your arm fought gravity and raised itself to grasp the door handle. The cool metal easily relented to your weight and opened the way to inside the apartment. 

Moments passed before your feet crossed the rise of the entryway and you entered the apartment. As you stood at the small, concrete landing, you spotted your friend's shoes laid neatly out of the way. Some dull part of your mind pushed you to remember your manners and you removed your shoes before stepping up onto the wooden floor of the apartment. As you moved onto the rise, the door creaked and you pivoted just in time to witness the entrance—and your exit—click shut and lock itself. Part of you was more exasperated with the bizarre happening than anything else. Nonetheless, you stepped past the short entrance hallway and the cosy space of a joined kitchenette and living room greeted you. A little further back was another short hallway with a few doors alike to your own home. You knew where each door led to: a bathroom, a linen closet, and a bedroom. 

Another shaky inhale and exhale left you before you padded across the main room and headed towards the bedroom. As you approached the somewhat open door, you could faintly hear the sound of rapid taps and clicks of plastic buttons that steadily grew louder as you came closer. With the door ajar, the occupant noticed you before you had the chance to knock on the wooden panel to announce your presence. You pushed the oak wood to fully open and stared at the male sitting comfortably in a desk chair with a game console in hand, one leg raised to rest a foot on the seat. He had stopped playing since noticing you at his room entrance. 

"Looks like I've been caught." 

"Kozume-kun..." 

In contrast to the heavy meaning of his words, his tone was light and almost coy. A serene smile played at his lips and not a modicum of guilt showed in the brunet's gaze. 

"Why?" you barely managed to utter. The single word of question weighed so heavily on your tongue you felt as if you would suffocate under the pressure. 

Kenma placed his console on the desk before he turned to fully face you and answered, "I'm sure you've been told, but it's Karma." 

You could only shake your head in confusion. 

"Just how is this karma?" 

"Not your karma," the male interjected before you could fire off any more questions. "I'm sure the others have told you some part of it; we're balancing the scales as a whole through one person. It's much more efficient that way." 

Your friend's words were far too positive and you tried to swallow the lump in your throat before replying, "Why me?" 

"It didn't have to be you," he answered with a shrug. "It just happened to be you because you had so many positive forces around. It made balancing that out with losses a lot easier." 

"Balancing?" you repeated in disbelief. "You call this balancing? I've been attacked and abused by people I love and trust and will never be able to feel safe around them ever again!" 

Kenma paused to mull over your outburst. His head cocked slightly in the way you were so familiar with that you felt sick seeing your friend in the place of whatever monster had traumatised you. 

"Well, it is true that you've managed to lose more than planned. I suppose it's my job to even it out and give you a gift." A sly smile seemed to curl at the brunet's lips after his words. 

"Just what in the world could you possibly give me?" you hissed, angry tears having started to boil over in your eyes. 

"Me." 

Just after the male's answer, you heard the bedroom door behind you slam shut. Your head turned towards the noise on reflex, but that was a mistake. In the moment you took your eyes off of him, Kenma rose from his chair and pounced. He snatched both of wrists in each of his hands before you returned your full attention to him. Using his grip on you as leverage, the male manoeuvred you to retreat until your back met the closed door. With an unusual strength, your friend pinned your arms beside your head and brought his face to level with your own. 

"That is to say, you'll get the one named "Kozume Kenma" I mean." 

"Wh-What the hell are you saying?" you stuttered under his proximity. A soft laugh left the male and you could feel the air leaving him brush against your lips. 

"Please, don't play dumb. You want this boy, don't you? You're in love with him," he stated simply. "Either way, it'll happen eventually and all of those dear friends that you lost will be replaced by your new lover." 

Ice may as well have shredded your arteries as cold invaded your flesh at the brunet's words. A hundred phrases of denial washed over your tongue, but not a single on could make it past your lips. 

"Stop it, please stop...!" you begged instead. 

"Just acknowledge it and say yes, then it'll be over. I'll have completed my job and we'll move on to the next target," he coaxed you in far too gentle a tone for his words. "All you have to do is admit to what you want and it'll be over." 

In the next moment, you watched as the male slowly blinked and opened his eyes to reveal what you feared most. In an instant, his irises changed from the warm ochre you knew so well to a startlingly strange liquid mercury. The metallic shine of his hues only stood out even more against the soot and ash black of his sclera. In a painstakingly relaxed fashion, the male revealed himself and all you could do was stare on helplessly. 

"So?" 

With that question, you could feel yourself snap. Over and over again you had been broken and picked your pieces back up one by one. You had challenged your aggressors time and time again with your spirit and courage, but every encounter whittled away at you. Just how much longer could you endure so much abuse and heartbreak? Your entire life had been overhauled at this point and an end to your struggles presented itself. Furthermore, it came gift-wrapped in the form of your crush. Pain was not a sensation a person could grow used to and there existed a limit to how much you could handle. 

Shakily, minutely, so softly you were unsure if you truly had moved, you nodded your head. 

"You did well," the brunet purred. 

A fit of rage bubbled at his patronising words, but it all melted into a lukewarm mess as the male pressed his lips to your own. He nibbled at your lower lip for a moment before pressing down hard enough to tear a gasp of pain from you. In that moment, he took advantage of your shock and delved his tongue into your mouth. A surprised squeak left you at the intrusion, but the heat that steadily climbed up your neck was beginning to have a dizzying effect on your mind. The brunet trailed his tongue along your own and another gasp tore from your throat before ending in a subdued whimper. Your body temperature felt as if it kept rising with every passing second and the lack of air was beginning to cloud your vision. Just as you were about to try to struggle for a breath, the male released your mouth and you inhaled sharply. Before you could even make for a second breath, however, he leant back in to pepper your lips with soft pecks. Unable to process the thought before your reaction, you let out a sudden whine and froze as you realised the meaning behind your vocalisation. 

You wanted more. 

The brunet seemed to understand even before you did as he dived back in for a full kiss and you could feel the smirk that played on his lips. Shame heated your flesh, but the burning temperature of your body was from a different source and you knew it; you surrendered to it. With an unsure shyness, you pressed back against the male's lips and poked your tongue out as a test. Almost as if ignited by your surrender, he immediately pushed you back to explore your mouth once more and you invited him to. 

Forgotten among the activity, Kenma's handheld console lay on his desk as two simple words flashed across the screen. 

_Game Over_


End file.
